In this study, we look at pot fishing as an alternative to bottom trawling. Bottom trawling is the most commonly used fishing technique, but it is also one of the most destructive. In the same context, OWFs are expanding. However, bottom trawling cannot be done in the same area as wind farms. Pot fishing offers a solution to both issues. It is a more sustainable fishing method as well as being a candidate for multi-use space. The main downside of pot fishing is its relative inefficiency, but little research has been done to improve it. We focused on olfactory attraction to make pot fishing more efficient and chose Crangon crangon as our target species. We looked at different exotic smells (strawberry, banana, and coconut) and compared them to synthetic fish (Herring) smell and traditional bait (Whiting). C. crangon was chosen because of its popularity in the North Sea fishing industry and because of how destructive said fishing can be. We also looked at different type of pots to see which were most successful at catching C. crangon. Although we were not able to get conclusive results, we were able to identify the limitation in this study and find ways to improve on them.
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