Sea turtle populations have significantly declined in recent years due to anthropogenic causes. Historical stranding records in the Canary Islands archipelago (Spain) reveal a high frequency of Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas strandings. Our study aims to comprehensively characterize and explore these stranding records. Additionally, we have investigated the interactions between sea turtles and the island's professional fishers, seeking insights from small-scale artisanal fishers to understand the current state of sea turtle populations. The results have shown that Tenerife stands out with the highest number of sea turtle strandings, recording 1875 strandings over a span of 23 years. The primary cause of sea turtle stranding's is the interaction with fishing gear, specifically nets and hooks. Moreover, our research has highlighted the need for improved knowledge and training on how to handle stranded sea turtles within the fishing sector. Consequently, raising awareness and implementing conservation plans for sea turtle populations in Tenerife is of outmost importance in addressing and improving the current situation.

The interaction between baleen whales and longline fisheries is poorly known worldwide and likely underestimated. This article presents one of the most severe scenarios of this interaction; an incident that resulted in the severe mutilation of the entire fluke of a whale and probably lead to its death. Considering the characteristic of the fluke, we strongly suggest that the fluke belonged to a small balaenopterid, most likely a dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). The episode reported here seems to be the first in its nature involving a baleen whale entangled in longline fishing gear off the Brazilian coast, and so, it represents, at the very least, the need for further investigation into the magnitude of such interactions in the south-west Atlantic Ocean.

Using experimental data and a model to predict size selection based on morphological data, we investigated size selection of redfish (Sebastes spp.) in the grid-based selection systems used in Northeast Atlantic trawls. We found that not all redfish make physical contact with the spacing between the bars in the sorting grids while they pass in the direction of the codend, and therefore the escapement of some undersized redfish depends on size selection in the codend. We estimate that most of the escapement in the combined selection system (consisting of a 55-mm grid and a diamond mesh codend) happens through the grid. We demonstrated that for one of the two grid systems investigated the increase in size selection obtained experimentally by increasing grid-bar spacing is well in line with what could be expected based on the morphology of redfish. However, the size selection observed experimentally was significantly lower than the size-selective potential of the grids estimated based on the morphology of redfish. By computer simulations, we show that a possible explanation for this difference could be that not all redfish that attempt to escape through the grid make their attempt with an optimal angle of attack.