Hydrodynamic Performance of Full-Scale T0 and T90 Codends with and without a Codend Cover

The hydrodynamic performance of one full-scale T0 (mesh size 90 mm) and three T90 (mesh size 90, 100, and 110 mm) codends was investigated and compared using flume tank testing, with and without a small-mesh cover. We evaluated how flow velocity, mesh circularity, and drag changed in each codend at five different towing speeds (0.5-0.9 m/s). The results demonstrated that flow velocity decreased along the length of a codend, and this effect was pronounced in the T0 codend. Increasing the mesh size of T90 codends from 90 to 110 mm did not significantly affect flow velocity. A novel parameter, termed mesh circularity, was developed and introduced to describe mesh opening. Mesh circularity in the T0 codend decreased along the length of the codend, which contrasted with the T90 codends. Results showed that the T90 codends maintained relatively open meshes (circularity ranged from similar to 0.8 to 1.0 along the length of the codend) compared to the T0 (circularity ranged from similar to 0.6 to 0.4). Each T90 codend had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher drag than the T0 codend when using the same simulated catch. For the covered codend comparisons, the flow velocity in the area between codend and cover did not change for the T0 codend (p > 0.05), but was significantly different for the T90 codend (p < 0.05). The results of this research provide fundamental knowledge useful for understanding and improving selectivity of trawls in marine fisheries, especially for revealing the masking effects of the cover net on the codend.