Marine Resources Research

Resolving the problem of disposal and/or use of by-products from seafood processing plants on Mississippi's Gulf Coast has become a significant challenge. This is a recurring problem, which the industry has traditionally solved on an ad hoc basis using the lowest cost alternative available. There are 31 processing plants on the Gulf Coast that generate shrimp by-products. Another 20 plants generate crab by-products and 16 plants generate oyster shells from shucking operations. Collection and utilization is expensive and disposal in landfill space has been restrained. Other problems also may necessitate a change in handling and utilization of the by-products. It is imperative that alternative waste utilization systems be researched and alternative solutions analyzed with approaches formulated. One alternative is to convert the solid waste into meal which can be sold as a feed additive for broiler chickens, fish and aquacultural commodities. Considerable research has been done in Mississippi and in other states in regard to the value of shrimp meal as a component of feed.

For those who are interested, a copy of the report entitled "Waste Management Options For Mississippi Shrimp Processors" prepared by MSU-CREC can be downloaded as an Adobe Acrobat document (116 KB).

Study Objective(s): To evaluate the shrimp retention and bycatch reduction characteristics of TEDs designed for use in small inshore shrimp trawls, and train inshore fishermen in choosing, installing and using TEDs correctly.

Comparison testing using experimental and control nets was conducted on inshore commercial shrimping grounds near Biloxi, Mississippi during October 23--November 9, 1995. Five TED designs were evaluated by comparing catch rates with control nets in twin-trawl configurations using 25-foot headrope nets. The methodology and forms developed by the NMFS Pascagoula/Galveston Laboratories for evaluation of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) were used. After each tow, the control and experimental catch was weighed for total biomass and shrimp. Half of the tows were subsampled by taking one basket (approximately 65-70 pounds) from the control and experimental net. These samples were separated into the 20 species of interest outlined in the BRD protocol and number/weight data was obtained for each species. The five TED designs/configurations evaluated exhibited a broad range of differences in performance. Regarding total catch and finfish bycatch, only one TED design failed to exclude statistically significant quantities on a catch-per-hour basis. Mean finfish bycatch exclusion rates ranged from a gain of 7.33 percent to a reduction of 43.56 percent. Reductions in total catch ranged from 5.03 percent to 30.3 percent. Two of the five designs evaluated exhibited statistically significant shrimp loss. Mean shrimp retention rates ranged from a gain of 7.08 percent (not significant at = .05) to a loss of 9.4 percent (significant at = .05).

The specific objectives of this study were to: 1) conduct a Gulfwide survey of agencies and organizations to determine existing and on-going data sets and develop a data set catalog; 2) compile and analyze these data sets, identify data gaps and develop a preliminary summary report for peer review; 3) synthesize the data and produce a final report with data compilation; and 4) assist the Gulf of Mexico Program with information and technology transfer activities addressing fishery bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico by disseminating information developed under this project to a wide variety of user groups, fishery managers and the general public. Project benefits include development of a protocol to gather and analyze bycatch data and manage fisheries, development of more efficient fishing technologies, improved stock assessments, reduced fishery mortality rates, increased population stability, and maintenance of "natural" biodiversity. Data sets were compiled using computer and literature searches as well as individual personal contacts throughout the Gulf region. The raw data were analyzed by all of the project coordinators in order to produce a report summarizing the findings and suggesting areas which may be ripe for further investigation.