Report of the Working Group on standardisation of scientific methods for comparing the catching performance of different fishing gear

The Working Group first met in Hamburg in April 1972 and presented its first report to the 60th Statutory Meeting of the Council. A revised version was submitted to the 61st Statutory Meeting and published in April 1974 (Coop.Res.Rep., No.38, pp. 1-22). Although much of what it contained was of wider application in the field of comparative fishing, the report had been written with bottom trawling specifically in mind. 

Accordingly, the Working Group was invited to continue its study of the standardisation of methods of comparing different fishing gears and in particular to extend its discussions to gears other than bottom trawls. 

Two further meetings were held. The first, which took place in Hamburg from 13-15 March 1974 dealt principally with methods of comparing two-boat bottom trawls, mid-water trawls and purse seines. The second meeting, held in Ostende, Belgium, on 23-24 April 1975, dealt with passive gears.