Abstract
A sorting grid section with a combination of a grid, a lifting panel and guiding panel potentially reduce the water flow, and can provoke that fish start to accumulate in front of the grid. Small scale tests measured the reduction in water flow, and fishing trials under commercial showed that the lifting panel had in fact a significant effect on the parameter "grid contact" (Cgrid) (the probability that a fish comes into contact with grid), thus on the selectivity of cod. The presence of the lifting panel increased the contact probability by 16%, and when compared with a grid section without lifting panel (Cgrid = 0.66) there was an improvement of 24%. At catch rates of approx. 20 tons per tow hour, the 24% improvement in grid contact represent many thousand small cod been sorted out of the trawl.
