Resources / Fishing / Undersize & berried release
Fishing · Stock & sustainability · Practice

Undersize & berried release

97% released

The share of every lobster you handle that goes straight back over the side — undersize, oversize and berried females — kept alive to grow and spawn. Only a small fraction of what enters the pot is ultimately retained.

Worked example · Share of all lobster handled
97% released Undersize · 71% Berried females · 22% Retained · 3%
Share of all lobster handled
The benchmark

Pot fishing lets undersize, oversize and egg-bearing lobster be returned alive; a high release share with good post-release survival underpins the fishery’s sustainability credentials.

IMAS Tas Fisheries ↗
What it signals

This is the daily practice behind the biomass and egg-production numbers. A high, well-handled release rate is what makes pot fishing sustainable and keeps the fishery’s market-access and certification claims defensible to buyers.

Data required to calculate
Lobster returned by reasonno.Total lobster handledno.

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Return undersize and berried animals fast to maximise survival.

02

Handle gently — minimise air time, drops and limb loss.

03

Set pots to reduce time on deck sorting marginal animals.

Questions & answers

What is undersize & berried release?

The share of every lobster you handle that goes straight back over the side — undersize, oversize and berried females — kept alive to grow and spawn. Only a small fraction of what enters the pot is ultimately retained.

What data do you need to calculate undersize & berried release?

You need: Lobster returned by reason (no.), Total lobster handled (no.). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good undersize & berried release benchmark?

Pot fishing lets undersize, oversize and egg-bearing lobster be returned alive; a high release share with good post-release survival underpins the fishery’s sustainability credentials.

How do you improve undersize & berried release?

Return undersize and berried animals fast to maximise survival. Handle gently — minimise air time, drops and limb loss. Set pots to reduce time on deck sorting marginal animals.

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