Bycatch and discarding patterns of dogfish and sharks taken in English and Welsh commercial fisheries

At‐sea observer programmes can provide spatio‐temporal data on the sizes and quantities of fish being either discarded or retained, including for species and size categories that may not be sampled effectively during scientific surveys. Such data were analysed for English and Welsh fisheries operating on the continental shelf of the North Sea ecoregion (ICES Divisions 4a–c and 7d) and Celtic Seas ecoregion (ICES Divisions 6a, 7a–c, e–k) for the period (2002–2016). These data were collated for four main gear types: beamtrawl, nephrops and otter trawls, and nets (including gillnets, tangle nets and trammel nets). Beamtrawlers caught proportionally more smaller individuals than otter trawlers, whilst nets were the most size‐selective gear for larger sharks. Size‐related discarding was observed, with smaller spurdog Squalus acanthias and starry smooth‐hound Mustelus asterias (< 60 cm total length, L T ) usually being discarded. Such size‐based selection was not evident for lesser‐spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula , which was generally landed as bait. Temporal changes in the discard–retention patterns were evident for S. acanthias and porbeagle Lamna nasus , with increased regulatory discarding as management measures became restrictive. A corresponding increase in the proportion of the non‐quota M. asterias retained was also observed over the study period. Knowledge of the size‐based discard–retention patterns by métier can also help inform on where future studies on discard survival could usefully be undertaken.