: the portion of a commercial fishing catch that consists of marine animals caught unintentionally
Examples of bycatch in a Sentence
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These unintended catches — called bycatch — are not the target species and are thrown overboard.
—
Simi Thambi, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Silky sharks are found in tropical waters and frequently are caught as bycatch each year, primarily by small-scale coastal and offshore longline fisheries.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2025
The researchers’ work focuses on monitoring these animals using innovative tagging technologies — including satellite, acoustic, accelerometer, and camera tags to track the sharks’ habitat use, life history, and impacts of bycatch during commercial and recreational fishing activities.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 May 2025
Overfishing, bycatch, habitat destruction and climate change have caused major declines in global shark populations.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
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Simi Thambi, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Silky sharks are found in tropical waters and frequently are caught as bycatch each year, primarily by small-scale coastal and offshore longline fisheries.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2025
The researchers’ work focuses on monitoring these animals using innovative tagging technologies — including satellite, acoustic, accelerometer, and camera tags to track the sharks’ habitat use, life history, and impacts of bycatch during commercial and recreational fishing activities.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 May 2025
Overfishing, bycatch, habitat destruction and climate change have caused major declines in global shark populations.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bycatch
Cite this Entry
“Bycatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bycatch. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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