A shrimp net with a mesh-panel, bycatch reduction device (BRD) and grill-type, turtle excluder device (TED; photo credit: NOAA).
BRD is an acronym for bycatch reduction device. Bycatch is non-target catch within any fishery.
For certain fisheries, these modifications to the gear (i.e., BRDs) can help lower the amount of bycatch. For example, a turtle excluder device (TED) is a specific type of BRD designed to help turtles escape trawl nets. Especially in cases where fisheries have bycatch quotas, the use of BRDs can often allow fisheries to operate longer, and more profitably, because the quotas are not exceeded quickly.
BRDs are generally designed with the cooperation of the fishery – they can be continually modified and improved to help ensure their effectiveness without compromising the productivity of the fishery – which is in the best interests of the industry and conservation, alike.