Experimental gill-netting of reef fish: Species-specific responses modify capture probability across mesh sizes

Gill-nets are highly selective in terms of the sizes of fish they catch, but often unselective in terms of the suite of fish species they capture. We investigated gill-net selectivity from the point of view of behavioural interactions between the fish and the gear. We observed interactions between fish and gill-nets of three mesh sizes (65 mm, 88 mm & 110 mm) set over rocky reefs in southern New Zealand. There were significant differences among eight species of mobile reef fish in their response to gill-nets and in their capture rates. Some species were more vulnerable because of their use of habitat, swimming motion or morphology. Species that occupied low visibility habitats (e.g., the herbivorous Odax pullus, which mostly swims beneath the algal canopy) were more susceptible to being caught because they had little time to detect and avoid the gill-nets. Species with carangiform or sub-carangiform swimming motion (e.g., Latridopsis ciliaris or O. pullus) were more susceptible to being caught because once in the gill-net, they could only attempt to force their way forwards becoming wedged further into the mesh. Species whose morphology makes tangling in the mesh more likely (e.g., large or protruding spines (Aplodactylus arctidens), fins (L. ciliaris) or opercula) are also more susceptible to being caught. Some species, particularly the common labrid Notolabrus celidotus, were less susceptible than other species to being caught. Fewer than 1% of 538 N. celidotus observed within one metre of the gill-nets were caught. Most N. celidotus altered their swimming direction near the gill-nets and did not hit the mesh. N. celidotus that swam through the nets were smaller than those that swam over the gill-nets or turned away. The fact that different size classes had different responses suggests that interactions with the gill-net are actively controlled. To divers, it appeared that this species could readily detect the gill-nets and treated them as part of the seascape. Furthermore, their labriform swimming motion allowed them to swim backwards out of gill-nets to avoid becoming caught. The species-specific responses of reef fish near the gill-nets and behavioural differences may explain the low numbers of some common reef fish that are caught in gill-nets and the disproportionately high numbers of others. The potentially great ancillary effects from by-catch of important species of untargeted reef fish, birds and marine mammals make gill-nets a somewhat blunderbuss method of catching fish on coastal reefs.