Impact of the use of trammelnets on a tropical reef resource

Trammelnets are sometimes considered as harmful gears for coastal reef resources and their banning has been recommended in the Caribbean. In the present state of the fishing technologies and strategies used in Martinique, trammels are more species selective than Antillean wire traps because they target mainly spiny lobsters and their fishing time is shorter. Furthermore, the trammels catch finfish at a much larger size than traps of the most common mesh sizes, including the mesh sizes recommended as optimal; however, no obvious differences were found between traps and trammels in their selectivity for lobsters. Therefore, the trammels are not more destructive than the widely accepted wire traps, at least as long as the reef fishery targets medium-sized fish at the expense of the larger species. The main drawback of trammels is the waste of spoiled fish. An optimal use of this gear could be fishing for lobsters with a net of low height and possibly larger mesh size. (Résumé d'auteur