"Bycatch, in the fishing industry, is a fish
or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while catching
certain target species and target sizes of fish, crabs etc. Bycatch is
either of a different species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juvenile
individuals of the target species. The term "bycatch" is also sometimes
used for untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or
collecting."
More at the link. Here's an example, described by Bill Bryson in
The Road to Little Dribbling:
"... in his book, [Callum] Roberts gives a list of all the aquatic
life incidentally killed - the bycatch, as it is known - by a fishing
boat in the Pacific Ocean in the process of legally catching just 211
Mahi-mahi. Among the aquatic animals hauled aboard and tossed back dead
in a single sweep were:
488 Turtles
455 Stingrays and devil Rays
460 sharks
68 Sailfish
34 Marlin
32 Tuna
11 Wahoo
8 Swordfish
4 giant sunfish.
This
was legal under international protocols. The hooks on the longlines
were certified "Turtle Friendly." All this to give 211 people a dinner
of Mahi Mahi.
Photo credit for the shrimp bycatch to NOAA's Fisheries Collection.
bycatch means 'i am not fishing for sharks, i am just throwing out the dead ones that also got caught with what i was fishing for.'. the bycatch should be put back, alive. otherwise, it is just ecological bee ess and does nothing for protecting species from over-fishing.
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There will be more plastic than fish in the ocean in 34 years.
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imagine how much plastic is in the sea salt you buy?
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