| Abstract: | Abstract The relationship between the amount of square mesh in codends and selectivity was investigated for an Australian penaeid stow‐net fishery. Three lengths (3, 2 and 1 m) of square‐mesh codend made from 27‐mm mesh hung on the bar were alternately tested with a conventional 34‐mm diamond‐mesh design during two covered‐codend experiments. Compared with the conventional codend, the square‐mesh configurations incrementally selected school prawns, Metapenaeus macleayi (Haswell) across narrower selection ranges (SR) and mostly at greater sizes at 50% retention (L50), while retaining fewer fish. Irrespective of the mesh configuration or square‐mesh codend length, there were significant differences between experiments (attributed to water flow) and impacts of catch weight on the selectivity of school prawns. Both variables had a negative relationship with L50, while water flow similarly affected SR. This study reaffirms the utility of square‐mesh codends as a key input control for managing the selectivity of penaeid‐catching gears. |
