Definition of "by-catch" [by-catch]

• The portion of a fishing catch that is discarded as unwanted or commercially unusable. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "While sharks are often caught accidentally called by-catch, a global market exists for shark fins, the main ingredient in shark fin soup."
• "Many sharks, rays and marine mammals are caught as by-catch of driftnet and longline fishing."
• "But once you start fishing deep you've got by-catch."