Underwater video recordings in the mouth of a squid trawl were used to evaluate the effectiveness of a trawl configured with drop-chain groundgear to catch longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) and reduce bycatch of finfish in the Nantucket Sound squid fishery off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Entrance through the trawl mouth or escape underneath the fishing line and between drop chains was quantified for targeted squid, and two major bycatch species, summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) and skates (family Rajidae). Additionally, contact and impingement between animals and groundgear were also quantified. Fish and squid swimming behaviours, positions, orientations, and time in the trawl mouth were quantified and related to capture or escape at the trawl mouth. Squid entered the trawl singly and in schools, and no squid were observed escaping under the fishing line. Most squid entered the trawl in the upper portion of the trawl mouth; mantle orientated away from the trawl and swimming in the same direction, and were gradually overtaken, not actively attempting to escape. Summer flounder and skates were observed to remain on or near the seabed, orientated, and swimming in the same direction as the approaching trawl. The majority (60.5%) of summer flounder entered the trawl above the fishing line. Summer flounder that changed their orientation and turned 180° were significantly more likely to enter the trawl (p < 0.05). Most skates (89.7%) avoided trawl entrance and escaped under the fishing line. Neither squid nor summer flounder were observed to make contact or become impinged to the groundgear; however, 35.4% of skates had substantial contact with groundgear, with 12.3% becoming impinged. Video analysis results showed that the drop-chain trawl is effective at retaining targeted squid while allowing skates to escape. However, it is ineffective at avoiding the capture of summer flounder.

How seasonal effects such as temperature increases and reduced lipid content affect the ability of anadromous fishes to traverse high-velocity barriers and sprint swimming is poorly understood. We evaluated American shad (Alosa sapidissima) swimming performance in a flume against high flow velocities (2.5–3.7 m·s⁻¹) during the upstream migration period (April–May; temperatures 11.1–21.4 °C) to determine how their willingness to enter a velocity barrier (attempt rate) and their swimming endurance changed during migration. American shad did not make attempts at low temperatures, and attempt rate gradually increased throughout the migration as temperatures warmed. American shad displayed two distinct, nonsustained swimming modes (prolonged and sprint swimming), and endurance was different between sexes. At warmer temperatures, females swam at prolonged speeds more often and longer females displayed a lower endurance. Males primarily swam at sprint speeds and were affected by swimming speed, fork length, and lipid content. Our results indicate that American shad motivation and swimming endurance change over the course of the migration as conditions change, potentially limiting their ability to pass barriers.

The hydrodynamic performance of one full-scale T0 (mesh size 90 mm) and three T90 (mesh size 90, 100, and 110 mm) codends was investigated and compared using flume tank testing, with and without a small-mesh cover. We evaluated how flow velocity, mesh circularity, and drag changed in each codend at five different towing speeds (0.5–0.9 m/s). The results demonstrated that flow velocity decreased along the length of a codend, and this effect was pronounced in the T0 codend. Increasing the mesh size of T90 codends from 90 to 110 mm did not significantly affect flow velocity. A novel parameter, termed mesh circularity, was developed and introduced to describe mesh opening. Mesh circularity in the T0 codend decreased along the length of the codend, which contrasted with the T90 codends. Results showed that the T90 codends maintained relatively open meshes (circularity ranged from ~0.8 to 1.0 along the length of the codend) compared to the T0 (circularity ranged from ~0.6 to 0.4). Each T90 codend had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher drag than the T0 codend when using the same simulated catch. For the covered codend comparisons, the flow velocity in the area between codend and cover did not change for the T0 codend (p > 0.05), but was significantly different for the T90 codend (p < 0.05). The results of this research provide fundamental knowledge useful for understanding and improving selectivity of trawls in marine fisheries, especially for revealing the masking effects of the cover net on the codend.