SINCE 1828
bycatch
noun
by·catch
| \ ˈbī-ˌkach
, -ˌkech\
, -ˌkech\
Definition of bycatch
: 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
Halibut bycatch in other fisheries accounted for 16% of the total catch limit. — Anchorage Daily News, "Bristol Bay boot camp aims to jump-start businesses through the region," 20 Aug. 2019 As the study authors note, a recent survey found that the surviving vaquitas are perfectly healthy, and also documented the presence of two calves—meaning that the species should be able to rebound if the bycatch threat is removed. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "There Are ‘At Most’ 19 Vaquitas Left in the Wild," 1 Aug. 2019 Alaska fishery managers closely track everything that comes and goes over the rails on boats in the Gulf and Bering Sea, including halibut taken as bycatch. — Anchorage Daily News, "Bristol Bay boot camp aims to jump-start businesses through the region," 20 Aug. 2019 Observers look for legal compliance and log bycatch. — Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, "Shocking Video Shows Impacts of Controversial Fishing Method," 27 Apr. 2018 The biggest threat to the dolphins is reportedly bycatch, when they are unintentionally entangled in fishing gear. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Our love of dolphins is not always good for them," 8 June 2019 Although the magnetic monopole is the big fish MoEDAL seeks, the experiment could haul in plenty of interesting bycatch. — Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, "Scientists Hunt for A Seeming Paradox: A Magnet With Only One Pole," 13 Nov. 2018 The big vessels typically pull their nets all night, anchoring at dawn when crews tend to the business of culling their catch, tossing small fish and other bycatch overboard. — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Better days ahead for Texas offshore anglers," 23 June 2018 That bycatch draws the attention of a world of predator species — king and Spanish mackerel, shark, ling, dorado, tuna, little tunny and, occasionally, a wild card such as sailfish or wahoo. — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Better days ahead for Texas offshore anglers," 23 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bycatch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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