Bycatch mitigation gear options

Dr Ben Sullivan

BirdLife International

Global Seabird Programme

The most effective current approach to reduce seabird bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries is to use a combination of:• bird-scaring lines• weighted branchlines, and• night setting

ACAP Best Practice Mitigation for Pelagic Longline Fisheries:

Bait Access

The Challenge

Bait Access

RFMO line weighting requirements

Tuna RFMOs require one of the following as a minimum standard for branchline weighting configurations:

• Greater than 45g attached within 1m of the hook or;• Greater than 60g attached within 3.5m of the hook or;• Greater than 98g weight attached within 4m of the hook; and• Positioning weights farther than 4m from the hook is not recommended.

Sliding leads versus weighted swivels

Sliding leads…are they safer for the crew? (cut-away trials on land)

On average, over range of tension treatments and distance of the weight from the hook = sliding leads had an 80% reduction in kinetic energy on impact (Sullivan et al. 2012. Safe Leads for Safe Heads. Fisheries Research 134–36:125–132)

Sliding lumo leads and distance to the hook

Depth (m) Distance astern (m)

60 g at 3.5 m 40 g at hook 60 g at hook

2 27.8 18.6 16.3

5 55.8 39.9 33.5

8 85.9 64.0 53.7

Time (sec)

Depth

(m)

12

10

8

6

4

2

05 10 15 20

40g at hook

60g at 3.5 m60g at 1 m

60g at hook

Line weighting: effect on catch rate?

Total CPUE (fish/1000 hooks) of the main target species caught for branch lines wth 2 m and

5.5 m leaders.

92 sets: n = 41,119 hooks

with 2 m and 45,979 hooks

with 5.5 m leaders

There is no significant

difference in target

catch rate of 60g swivel

at 2 m or 5.5 m from the

hook.

5 tuna commissions

• All 5 tuna commissions now have seabird bycatch mitigation requirements

• Duty to act by UN Fish Stocks Agreement and FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

• All tuna commissions require bycatch data collection

9

RECOGNITION

MONITORING &COMPLIANCE

COLLECT BYCATCH DATA

FIRST MITIGATION MEASURES

REFINE MEASURES

EVALUATION

CCSBTSouthern

WCPFCW.Pacific

IOTCIndian

ICCATAtlantic

CCAMLRAntarctic

RFMOs 2004

IATTCE.Pacific

RECOGNITION

MONITORING &COMPLIANCE

COLLECT BYCATCH DATA

FIRST MITIGATION MEASURES

REFINE MEASURES

EVALUATION

CCSBTSouthern

WCPFCW.Pacific

IOTCIndian

ICCATAtlantic

CCAMLRAntarctic

RFMOs 2014

IATTCE.Pacific

BirdLife collaboration with high seas fleets

•Korea meeting Busan 2012

•Taiwan meeting Kaohsiung 2013

•Spain meeting Vigo 2014

•Japan meeting mid 2015

•China meeting mid 2015?

12

Korean ‘high sea’ line weighting trials

June - July 2013 – BirdLife Albatross Task Force

Indian Ocean •12,000 hooks split between 65g and 40g sliding lumo leads and a control treatment•a single ‘hybrid’ bird-scaring line (mix of long and short streamers 50-80m aerial extent)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

65 g 40 g

Mea

n f

ish

cap

ture

d

Experimental treatments

Weighted

Control

Emerging mitigation measures: hook pod

Hook pod stored in setting bins Hook pod being set with squid bait

Trials in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa demonstrateno reduction in target cach rate

Emerging mitigation measures: Smart Hook

Bait capsule – Graham Robertson (Australian Antarctic Division)

Thank you