Request to ILVO. Alternative technical measures for TR2 fleet in the Celtic Sea recovery area.

In order to minimise the bycatch of gadoid in Celtic (7fg) and Irish sea (7a), specific technical measures were introduced by article 9 of delegated regulation 2018/2034. the proposed technical measures do not fir with SOL fishery with TR2 gear.
Otter trawl gear with an 80 mm cod-end is now used in Celtic and Irish sea to catch sole and other species. A 100 mm cod-end is suggested as technical measure to reduce gadoid bycatch (cod, whiting, haddock). However, a significant part of the sole catch would escape through the cod-end of this gear.
ILVO is asked to simulate a potential alternative gear with comparable selectivity to the 100 mm net that can retain a viable sole catch without hampering the selectivity of the gadoids. Namely the selectivity needs to be simulated of an otter trawl net with an 80 mm cod-end rigged with a 120 mm square mesh panel (SMP) in the aft end of the top panel of the net just in front of the cod-end. The selective properties of this alternative net are to be compared with the selective properties of an otter trawl net with a 100 mm cod-end.