Small steps high leaps: Bio-economical effects of changing codend mesh size in the North Sea Brown shrimp fishery

•Predicted codend selectivities were applied in a life-cycle yield-per-recruit model.•An increase in commonly used mesh size would heighten landings and biomass.•Mesh size of the past induced growth overfishing due to a gradual decrease in M.•Changing stock size structure with larger meshes would raise spring landings.•Density dependent effects of stock biomass on population growth are discussed.