GARTNER ET AL.: FISH ESCAPEMENTS FROM MIDWATER TRAWLS 



and Laurs 1966; B. H. Roblson, unpub. data from 

 submersible observations). Our data and those of 

 Clarke (1973) from conventional midwater trawls 

 suggest that avoidance is not a primary concern in 

 lower latitudes which are dominated by small (<70 

 mm SL) species. In all regions, however, escapement 

 of small size groups and species through meshes is 

 a real problem which until now has not been well 

 quantified. 



Future quantitative ecological research on post- 

 larval midwater fishes should use a midwater trawl 

 of mesh size <2 mm in conjunction with larger mesh 

 in order to correct for the effects of net escapement. 

 This ancillary net should ideally be mounted on an 

 identical frame design (although not necessarily 

 identical mouth area) as the large mesh and fished 

 in a similar manner in order to readily facilitate 

 internet comparisons. Should logistic considerations 

 restrict gear use to a single type, our data indicate 

 that the small mesh gear would be more efficient 

 overall for collection of size groups from 10 to ap- 

 proximately 70 mm SL. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



We wish to thank the crew of the RV Suncoaster 

 for their ongoing assistance and professionalism 

 during the many long cruises to Standard Station. 

 Shiptime was funded by NSF research grant OCE 

 #8410787 to T. L. Hopkins. We also thank D. F. 

 Williams, University of South Florida, Department 

 of Marine Science (USFMS) for preparation of 

 graphics and R. R. Wilson, K. L. Carder, and T. M. 

 Lancraft (USFMS), T. Bailey of Harbor Branch 

 Oceanographic Institution, and B. H. Robison of the 

 Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute for 

 their critical reviews of the manuscript. M. D. 

 Murphy and R. G. Muller, Florida Department of 

 Natural Resources, Florida Marine Research Insti- 

 tute provided valuable assistance with statistical 

 analyses. 



The senior and second authors are especially 

 grateful to the Houston Underwater Club, Houston, 

 TX for financial assistance provided through their 

 SEASPACE Scholarship program. This paper 

 forms part of doctoral dissertation research in 

 progress by the senior author at USFMS. 



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