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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 33 Number 10
June 2006
Coast Guard District 1 net measuring protocol
Here is the procedure – word for word with no editing by CFN – that US Coast Guard First District boarding officers follow when checking groundfish trawl nets for mesh size violations. Most states follow the same protocol.
Spring-loaded mesh gauges
Spring-loaded spades are a useful, lightweight tool for checking mesh-size compliance. However, these spades are only authorized as a first indicator of mesh size and cannot be used to document a violation.
Multispecies trawl nets
A) Inspect the net. Select a portion that is relatively free from mends and is representative of the condition of the whole net.
B) Count at least five meshes up from the terminus of the codend (where the net is cinched together while the net is in use, and then opened to release the catch onto the deck).
From there, count at least five meshes in from the side seam (where the top of the codend appears to be “sewn” to the bottom). From this starting point, measure 20 consecutive meshes in a straight line, along the longitudinal axis of the net (along the lay of the net), and record each measurement on the net measurement form.
Remember that, for a vessel over 45' in length, the codend is defined as the 50 meshes forward from the terminus of the net (for diamond mesh) or 100 bars forward from the terminus of the codend (for square mesh).
C) While measuring a net, ensure at least two Coast Guard personnel support the net, one in front and one in back of the spade (along the longitudinal axis of the net so the supporting action spreads the mesh naturally open), in order to take tension off the meshes.
Allow the spade to hang by the weight without touching the deck or other obstruction below. Measurements are read from the top of the twine on the spade gauge. If the readings on the left and right of the gauge are not equal (the gauge will not set parallel to the deck with the pressure of the 5 kg weight), the larger of the indicated measurements shall be used.
D) District 1 boarding officers shall not shake the net to more firmly set the gauge in the mesh. The 5 kg weight alone must provide the pressure to make the measurement by regulation.
E) If the average mesh size is above the minimum, no further measurement is required. If it is less than the minimum required, measure a second section.
Ask the master to select another portion of the net to be measured. If the master does not want to select a section, the boarding officer shall choose the second section to be measured. Note on the net measurement form that the master refused to select a section. Two sections of mesh must be measured in order to document a violation.
F) If the mesh is so small that the spade does not fit, take the measurements using whatever device is best available (e.g. 12" ruler, tape measure, etc.).
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