CONSTRUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF A BEAM TRAWL FOR CATCHING YOUNG SHRIMPS IN ESTUARIES

Abstract

Faced with the difficulty of catching young shrimp individuals in estuaries, a beam trawl was developed and tested. It was effective in catching shrimps measuring between 2.7 and 11.5 mm in length and crabs of 5.99 to 6.64 mm in length. The equipment is resistant to corrosion and can be maneuvered by one person. The net fastening system is easy to operate, allowing its removal after every trawl, thus avoiding possible sample losses with onboard handling. The ideal trawling time was around 3 minutes and use of a ballast system gave better results during the catching operation, although without any statistical difference.