Many young (0 group) vendace (Coregonus albula) are thought to die after passing through trawl cod ends during commercial vendace fishery in Finnish lakes. Survival of 2- to 4-month-old vendace (5–10 cm) after escaping from a 24-mm square mesh trawl cod end was therefore studied in Lake Puulavesi, Finland, during July–August 1993. Escapees were collected in a hooped netting cage that was released from the cod end after the tow, closed, and left at the depth of capture for 3–7 days. The data consist of 59 cagings. On average, 50% of the escaped vendace died, although mortality varied considerably. Most mortality occurred during the first day after escaping. Hauls conducted in the late evening and at night were accompanied by the highest mortality (60–80%). Mortality was 30–40% in the afternoon and early evening hauls. Generally, higher mortality was observed in August than in July. Comparisons with caged fish caught by a purse seine suggested that the experimental procedure did not substantially contribute to the observed total mortality of escapees. Scale loss and exhaustion experienced by vendace during trawl capture may have caused the rapid death of escapees through loss of osmoregulatory control.

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In the years 1989-1993, over 1000 metric tons of fish (392 kg ha 1 ) was removed by trawls from the Enonselkä basin in Lake Vesijärvi in order to enhance the water quality. Roach (52%) and smelt (28%) were the most abundant species in the catches. In this study, the effects of the mass removal on the previously unexploited smelt stock was assessed. The total smelt catch was c. 282 metric tons. Due to the mass removal, the density of the stock collapsed from c. 46 000 fish ha 1 in 1989 to c. 14 000 fish ha 1 in 1993 (M=1·0). The biomass of the stock decreased from 75 kg ha 1 in 1989 to 12 kg ha 1 in 1993. The age group composition of the stock changed clearly towards the dominance of younger age groups. The male/female relationship in the samples changed from clear dominance of females to the dominance of males and the infection rate by the sporozoan parasite Glugea hertwigi declined. The growth rate of the smelt did not change considerably during the years of mass removal. The results suggest that in biomanipulated lakes several mechanisms may prevent the exploited stock from responding to the increased mortality. 1996 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

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