Mexican Shrimp Trawling

A trawler in the Kino Bay region at dusk

A trawler in the Kino Bay region at dusk

Leaving the protected anchorage in the lee of Isla Alcatraz to begin fishing operations for the night

Two full nets brought aboard

Guls and pelicans swarm the ship as the haul is released onboard and by catch begins to be swept out of the scuppers

Crew resetting the nets before sorting the catch

Shoveling the catch into a pile for sorting. It is clear that the catch is mostly juvenile fish, not the targeted shrimp species.

Sorting the catch

A frogfish, one of the less common trawler bycatch species

The crew sorting through the catch to separate out the shrimp

Rinsing the shrimp after sorting

Hauling in a dawn set

Trawler crew at dawn, processing the morning haul

California sea lions waiting for bycatch to be swept overboard

Sorting the catch

Juvenile bycatch species being washed overboard through the scuppers

Crew shoveling by catch overboard

The catch from the morning's haul, poured out onto the deck to be de-headed before freezing.

Longtail Stingray are common by catch species, as they favor the flat muddy habitat of the bay.

Small octopus and a non-target species of shrimp are kept aside for local consumption

Some bycatch animals don't have any chance for survival, no matter how miniscule. Those with commercial value will be kept for onboard consumption or to be traded for goods and services from locals. Large rays, guitarfish, crabs, triggerfish, and octopus are all retained, among others.

Some of the lager fish kept by the crew.

Bottlenose dolphins follow the trawler feeding on bycatch

A large number of bycatch juvenile triggerfish being filleted for juvenile consumption