Effect of Codend Design and Mesh Size on the Size Selectivity and Exploitation Pattern of Three Commercial Fish in Stow Net Fishery of the Yellow Sea, China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript deals with the species size selectivity patterns of three commercial fish in stow net fishery of the Yellow Sea. I believe that the main findings and statements from this work are significant for the coastal fisheries in the area. The subject is interesting and has a positive contribution to the literature. I found the manuscript well written. The methodological approach and the statistical methods used are valid and correctly applied to the data set. Data interpretation are coherent and well presented. Tables and figures are well presented and titled. The discussion is detailed enough and the scope of the manuscript are very well presented with up-to-dated references and examples.
However, I found the very narrow time period of the sampling as limited factor for the study. Given that in the Lines 42-43 the authors mentioned that "Fishing activities are often conducted in the spring and autumn"
areas, I am wondering which was the limited factor for conducting the samplings only during a short period (12 days) of October. Even though the study is focused on the croaker species, which are caught in autumn, however, there is not any data showing that the fishing period for coaker is conducted only in October. The authors, for the sake of coherence, could present data on the main fishing period of the study species in order to justify their sampling strategy.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
This manuscript examines the effect of codend mesh size and shape on the selectivity of 3 croaker species the Yellow Sea stow net fishery in China. The authors did an exceptional job approaching this question and designing a well thought out experiment to examine the selectivity of each mesh size and shape. The analysis is thorough and well carried out and the results have direct implications for management action in the fishery. I just have a few very minor suggestions for improvement, but other than those below I think the manuscript is well executed, informative for fisheries management and well suited for publication.
Lines 31-35: Good content, but run on sentence, consider splitting into two sentences.
Line 57: ‘acknowledged’ instead of ‘aware’
Line 66: would read better if it was written ‘…would reduce the reproductive potential of the fish population…’
Lines 82-84: Re word/ rephrase sentence as it does not read properly. Also I suggest using ‘fishers’ instead of ‘fishermen’ throughout the manuscript
Line 360: Maybe also give the comparison between D55 and S55, I think that is the most relevant as S55 has the lowest catch efficiency of undersized individuals.
Line 383: Remove the word ‘time’
Line 386: ‘provides’ instead of ‘would provide’
Discussion: Consider dedicating some text to discussing other fisheries which have implemented MMS sizes with specific species in mind and the effectiveness of that management action.
Figure 3-5: Perhaps Figure 3, 4 and 5 could be presented as 2 rows and 3 coloumns. The authors could put all the D’s on top and S’s on the bottom. Therefore you would have D35, D45 and D55 on the top and S35, S45 and S55 on the bottom. That way direct comaprisions between S and D can be made visually. This is not required but would help with the presentation.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
The topic is interesting and important in terms of environmental effects. The experimental study is conducted inline with real-world conditions. The finding represents important outcomes for stakeholders.
Author Response
The topic is interesting and important in terms of environmental effects. The experimental study is conducted inline with real-world conditions. The finding represents important outcomes for stakeholders.
Response: Thanks a lot.
