Size selection of silver hake ( Merlucciusbilinearis) by otter trawls with square and diamond mesh codends of 55–60 mm mesh size

Five otter trawl mesh selection experiments were conducted in Emerald and LaHave basins off Nova Scotia in 1994–1995, using the parallel tow method, to determine the selection of square and diamond mesh netting for silver hake. Length at 50% selection was higher for 55 mm polyamide and 60 mm polyethylene square mesh codends than for 60 mm polyethylene diamond mesh (two experiments). Estimates of selection range were similar among these experiments but, when standardized for differences in 50% selection length, selection range of square mesh was 0.77 times that of diamond mesh. An experiment using a chafer over part of the 60 mm diamond codend gave an estimate of 50% selection similar to those for the same codend without a chafer, but selection range was wider.