Application of the Australian Trawl Efficiency Device in Australia s Northern Prawn Fishery

Abstract

The following paper is made up of three field trip reports covering the testing and commercial use of the Australia Trawl Efficiency Device (AusTED). The work was carried out in the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) aboard five NPF vessels between July 95 and November 96. The study was undertaken in accordance with the program outlined in the FRDC funded project Development and application of AusTED in the Australia trawl industry . The AusTED performed exceptionally well. In fact big catches of prawns, fish and large marine creatures appear to be what the AusTED requires to fully show off it s value as a trawl efficiency device. It excluded all large creatures encountered while maintaining prawn catches. The reduction in small fish was as high as 60% but averaged around the 30% mark. Testing of the AusTED was carried out on trawlers fishing for tiger prawns and endeavour prawns in the Gulf of Carpentaria (GOC) and red leg banana prawns in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf (JBG). The following reports cover catch comparisons between standard nets and those rigged with AusTED. Recommendations and personal opinions from NPF skippers operating in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf are also included.