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Currently, traditional Mediterranean trawls are generally made with non-selective netting and the fishing boats are involved in multi-species fisheries. As a result, most near-shore stocks are over-exploited. Weather permitting, the demersal trawl fleet tends to fish in relatively deeper, international waters of the Aegean Sea, where the catch is usually higher. Therefore, the need for evaluation of the codends used in this fishery and the potential improvements to their selectivity are of prime importance. In the present study, selectivity data were collected for hake (Merluccius merluccius), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), greater forkbeard (Phycis blennoides), blackbelly rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus) and fourspotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) in commercial (300 MC) and square mesh top panel (SMTPC) codends. Trawling was carried out at depths of 274-426 m onboard a commercial vessel chartered for a 15-day sea trial in August 2004. Selection parameters were obtained by fitting a logistic equation using a maximum likelihood method. Results of the selectivity analysis indicated that the commercially used 40 mm nominal mesh size PE codend was rather unselective for the species investigated in this study. In general, the square mesh top panel codend has relatively higher L 50 values than the commercial codend. However, except for blue whiting, even this codend is rather unselective when 50% maturity lengths (L M50 ) are considered.

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Differences in size selectivity of commercial (40 mm diamond mesh, 40D), larger mesh (48 mm diamond mesh, 48D), and square mesh codends (40 mm square mesh, 40S) for hake (Merluccius merluccius), greater forkbeard (Phycis blennoides), blackbelly rosefish (Helicolenus dactylopterus dactylopterus) and four-spot megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) were investigated in the Aegean Sea. The study was conducted using the covered codend method. Data were analysed taking betweenhaul variations into account. Results showed that changing from a 40D to 48D codend significantly improved mean L 50 values, with increases of about 22% for hake, 8% for greater forkbeard, 20% for blackbelly rosefish, and 11% for four-spot megrim (P = 0.000). A change from diamond to square mesh configuration with the same 40 mm netting also significantly increased the mean L 50 values, with 45% for hake, 36% for greater forkbeard, and 25% for blackbelly rosefish (P = 0.000). For four-spot megrim the mean L 50 value was about 10% lower, but this difference was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Despite the increases in L 50 values, this study concludes that the selectivity of the 48D and 40S codends is still not sufficient to release fish smaller than length at first maturity for these four species.