Drift gillnets (DGN) are often deployed in marine waters off the U.S. West Coast, primarily in federal waters adjacent to California, to harvest swordfish and other high-value food fish. This paper examines the economic characteristics and trends associated with the West coast DGN fishery and compares these trends and economic characteristics to other methods frequently used to harvest swordfish.
Of all methods used to harvest swordfish, drift gillnets have the highest rates of discarded bycatch. Over a period of approximately ten years, the DGN fishery average 64 % discarded bycatch.
