bycatch

noun

by·​catch ˈbī-ˌkach 

-ˌkech

: the portion of a commercial fishing catch that consists of marine animals caught unintentionally

Examples of bycatch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More ocean news Alaska pollock, the fish behind imitation crab and America’s fish sticks, is fueling a fight over trawling and bycatch. — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Rebekka Nygård Bak, an adviser to Greenland’s fisheries ministry, told the outlet that rules requiring bycatch-friendly equipment and better bycatch reporting could also help. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2026

Scientists know of dwindling populations in parts of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Myanmar because the shark turns up as fishing bycatch. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

The finalist images document the consequences of overfishing and bycatch, the impact of pollution on marine mammals and the killing of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, a practice known as grindadráp. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bycatch

• attach
• despatch
• detach
• dispatch
• mismatch
• nuthatch
• potlatch
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch
• hatch