When fishers are out working their boats, they are typically targeting a specific type of fish. However, other species often end up in their nets or trawls as well. This is known as “bycatch”—seafood for which the fishers receive no payment. Although it is illegal to discard bycatch back into the sea, it still happens.
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Why wouldn’t they toss the bycatch back into the sea? If I wasn’t going to be paid for my catch I would toss it back on principle. Fuck the law. Pay the fisherman if you want his fish.
I think the idea is to make them responsible for what they kill. If you’re using the wrong gear & throwing back tons of dead bycatch, that’s a problem.