Bycatch

When commercial fisheries set out into the sea to fish, they are usually targeting specific or group of species. Bycatch refers to the unintentional capture of any non-targeted marine animals. Sharks are apparently victims of bycatch and is the second major cause of the decline of shark population.

In the past, sharks that were caught as bycatch were being thrown back into the sea due to its low valued meat. Today, due to the high demand of shark fins, these sharks are now being finned or might eventually become the targeted species.

Sharks are usually caught as bycatch by the commercial fishing gears used by the fisheries. Longlines which are often used to capture tuna, caught about 10 – 20 million sharks as bycatch every year. Longlines method is operated by having thousands of baited hooks being set off on a main line which can measure up to many kilometres long.

Trawling is another method which is also known as an “aimless” form of fishing. The bycatch rate can reach as high as 10 times of the targeted species. Trawling method is operated by having a trawler to drag a cone-shaped net behind a boat. The height of the trawler can vary according to the height in the water column.