A system for reducing trawl bycatch through the use of a “flying”, “steerable” element of a towable or trawlerable fishing net, consisting of one or more hydrofoils at the mouth of the net, which maintains either a consistent height over the seabed or a pre-determined depth in the water, semi-autonomously. This negates the need, per the prior art in trawling and fishing technology, for heavy rollers on the bottom of the net, or heavy side “doors”. The present-day use of prior art ruins the ecosystem directly through physical damage to coral, sea bed hatcheries, etc., and indirectly by requiring increased fuel use on the trawling vessel and thus creating more emissions. This invention addresses those problems providing a better, cleaner and less destructive technology for fishing.
