The catch performance of a traditional Ligurian boat seine, which is not in line with the European Union regulation, was compared with an experimental surrounding net without the purse line as a potential legal alternative. The relative catch performance between the two gear types was assessed using a new catch comparison method requiring neither paired data collection nor equal number of hauls with the two gears. The comparison was based on the catches of the three species that comprise the bulk of the catch in traditional Ligurian boat seine fisheries: Bogue Boops boops, Saddle Bream Oblada melanura, and Blotched Picarel Spicara maena. The experimental gear exhibited poor catch efficiency for all three species, since it was estimated that the catches would only be 2, 64, and 6%, respectively, of those with the boat seine. For both Bogue and Blotched Picarel these reductions in catch performance were found to be highly significant proving that the experimental surrounding net is not a viable solution to replace the traditional boat seine.