Discarding in the English north-east coast Nephrops norvegicus fishery: the role of social and environmental factors

An interdisciplinary approach, integrating biological and social data, was used to determine the main driving forces behind the discarding of whiting and Nephrops in this fishery. Discard patterns varied between vessels and light intensity had a significant relationship with Nephrops discarding. Less than 5% of caught Nephrops were discarded owing to the development of a market for small sized Nephrops. Quotas and minimum landing sizes had no discernible effect on discard patterns which were most influenced by the combining influences of trawl selectivity and market forces.