“Trash Fish” in a Small Scale Fishery: a Case Study of Nha Trang Based Trawl Fishery in Vietnam

This case study for small scale Vietnam trawl fisheries is the first scientific description of the trawl fishery of Nha Trang city, Vietnam. Except for its codend that is constructed from machine-made web with mesh sizes of from 1.2 cm to 2.0 cm, the wing and all other body parts of the trawl are woven by hand from synthetic fibers. Trash fish, i.e. the proportion of the catch not used for human consumption, accounted for 23% and 22%, respectively, of the total catch of the bottom pair trawling and the otter trawling fleets. However, only 8% and 11%, respectively, of the revenues of the bottom pair trawling and the otter trawling fleets were from trash fish. Catches of the pair trawling fleet were dominated by trash fish, Trichiurus lepturus (largehead hairtail), Loligo sp. and Decapterus sp., while the catches from otter trawling were dominated by trash fish, T. lepturus and Penaeidae sp. Most of the individuals from the trash fish category were smaller than 15.0 cm, except for large head hairtail. Some potential measures to reduce the catch of trash fish in the fishery are discussed.