Shrimping in the waddensea is frequently considered to significantly reduce the numbers of juvenile plaice . This investigation aims to reveal the seasonal and regional differences regarding discards in the German waddensea and sets the results in relation to the bycatch projects with German participation. Furthermore, methodological aspects are evaluated to find possible effects on the estimation of the netted numbers. The bycatch problem exists predominantly throughout the summer season, but high catches of juvenile plaice can occur occasionally in autumn. The discard issue seems to be most important in the East Frisian region, while the Elbe and Schleswig-Holstein areas are of lesser importance. Considering the distribution of the fish in the environment is as indispensable as sampling of the shrimp fleet with optimum representativity. There are indices that the contribution of the Dutch shrimp fleet to the discard mortality of juvenile plaice was underestimated in the recent past. A combination of time and area closures as restrictions in combination with the extensive application of selective gears could possibly gain the best protection for the affected species
