Known as bycatch, the incidental capture of these so-called "non-target species" is a major fisheries management problem, wasting fishermen's time and hundreds of millions of dollars in damaged gear and inefficient fishing methods. (WWF)

The scale of this mortality is such that bycatch in some fisheries may affect the structure and function of marine systems at the population, community and ecosystem levels. (Greenpeace)

The standard mandates minimizing bycatch to the extent practicable and minimizing mortality of unavoidable bycatch. (Louisiana Fisheries)