: 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
The state’s population of redfish, which cannot be caught commercially but were sometimes a net bycatch, increased so much that the three-month recreational closed season was eliminated.
—
Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Protecting critical life stages through spatial and size-based regulations (such as establishing conservation zones, implementing size limits on catches, and reducing bycatch of young sharks) could help mitigate these risks.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
But the beauty of the place is just how much of what’s sold here is left to chance: Porgy’s is on a mission to sell bycatch and boost the fishing industry in the process.
—AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
By contrast, Shark Guardian estimates approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year, including being intentionally targeted for fishing as well as those caught by bycatch in fishing nets.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
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Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Protecting critical life stages through spatial and size-based regulations (such as establishing conservation zones, implementing size limits on catches, and reducing bycatch of young sharks) could help mitigate these risks.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
But the beauty of the place is just how much of what’s sold here is left to chance: Porgy’s is on a mission to sell bycatch and boost the fishing industry in the process.
—AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
By contrast, Shark Guardian estimates approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year, including being intentionally targeted for fishing as well as those caught by bycatch in fishing nets.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bycatch
Cite this Entry
“Bycatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bycatch. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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