bycatch

noun

by·​catch ˈbī-ˌkach 

-ˌkech

: the portion of a commercial fishing catch that consists of marine animals caught unintentionally

Examples of bycatch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

There’s a note-perfect bouillabaisse, that storied fisherman’s stew that began as a utilitarian way to use up the unsellable bycatch before evolving into one of the world’s great soups. —Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2025

Overfishing — whether targeted or incidental — is their biggest threat, with many caught unintentionally and discarded as bycatch. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bycatch

• attach
• despatch
• detach
• dispatch
• mismatch
• nuthatch
• potlatch
• toothache
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch