The selectivity of the gill-nets used to target hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the Cornish and Irish offshore fisheries

The North European gill-net fishery targeting hake (Merluccius merluccius) is mostly prosecuted using gill-nets with a mesh size of 120 mm. Fishers from both the UK and Ireland are active in this fishery using this particular gear type.A study was undertaken aboard a commercial gill-netter off the coast of Cornwall (UK) in 2005 to estimate the selectivity parameters of this particular fishing gear, as little published information was available. We found that the 120 mm gill-net caught mostly larger hake, catching few fish below 60 cm. The modal selectivity length for hake using gill-nets with this mesh size was close to 80 cm.The study indicates that the 120 mm gill-fishery off Cornwall and Ireland is a highly size-selective component of the international fishery exploiting the northern hake stock, a stock in which international landings at length peaked at around 30 cm (2004).