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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Since 2019, by-catch quotas have been basically eliminated in Mexico, and inspections have plummeted.

From Seattle Times

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

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

Federal law already requires their boats to carry monitors who gather data, including how much “by-catch,” species other than the kinds their permits allow, is swept up.

From Seattle Times

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

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