by-catch

British

noun

unwanted fish and other sea animals caught in a fishing net along with the desired kind of fish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Vocabulary lists containing by-catch

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Example Sentences

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Dr Cabada-Blanco said the team was able to "engage the community really effectively", with locals sharing tales of historical sightings, and even "aiding in the live release of individuals accidentally caught as by-catch".

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2024

If wild-caught, is there minimal by-catch associated with it?

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2024

Balearic shearwaters are long-lived but Critically Endangered mainly because of declines driven by fisheries by-catch, as they can get caught on baited longline hooks and gill nets.

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2024

By the way, the trolling fishery is the single most efficient in Alaska…every fish is hook-caught, handled individually, and the by-catch is minimal.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2023

Trawlers and others say they’ve already reduced by-catch voluntarily and that lower limits would be disastrous.

From Washington Times • Jun. 6, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023