Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Volume 3 Number 8: Catch Comparison Trials with the Faithlie Cod Avoidance Panel (FCAP)

Appendix 1 The Unmodified Faithlie Cod Avoidance Panel ( FCAP) Design

Design of Inclined Panel

• The Faithlie Cod Avoidance Panel is made from netting of mesh size of at most 300 mm.
• It is hung on the square and is 8 bars in height and 14 bars wide.
• It is cut out as shown in Figure 1.
• It can be roped around the perimeter in such a way so as not to distort the panel when laid flat ( Figure 2).
• To allow the passage of benthos and ground fish species, it is permitted to create a hole at the bottom of the panel, by cutting out the mesh bars shown in Figure 1. For strength and integrity the perimeter of the hole must be roped with a rope whose length is no more that 2.1 m and whose diameter is no more than 12mm ( Figure 2).

Positioning of Panel

• Attachment Points A are fitted to the selvedges in the tapered section of the gear where there are 200 open 80 mm meshes (or equivalent) in circumference.
• Attachment Point B is fitted to the centre of the top sheet 3½ meshes aft of the cross section that is described by attachment Point A.
• Attachment Point C is fitted to the centre of the bottom sheet 3½ meshes forward of the cross section that is described by attachment Point A ( Figure 3).
• The perimeter of panel is fitted to the trawl netting, length for length, between the attachment points.

Fish Outlet Holes

• Two unblocked fish outlet holes (with clean meshes all the way around) must be cut out of the trawls top sheet netting not more than two meshes ahead of the inclined panel at any point.
• They must be positioned 8 x 80 mm diamond meshes (or equivalent) meshes either side of the centre line.
• The opening width of the posterior side of these fish outlets should be no less than 15 x 80 mm diamond meshes (or equivalent) across and cut out to a tip in the forward direction along mesh bars ( Figure 3).