Solutions

Gears and Best Practices

Avoid Hotspots

Hotspots are areas that have a higher abundance of bycatch taxa where it is more likely to have high bycatch rates if fishing is conducted. It is a best practice to avoid setting fishing gear in these locations.

Fishery Type

Gillnets, Longline, Purse Seine, Trawls

Ocean Region

Eastern Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean, Southern Atlantic Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean

Target Species

American Lobster, Dungeness Crab, Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, Sharks and Rays

Gears and Best Practices

Circle Hooks

In circle hooks, the pointed tip is bent back towards the shaft decreasing the spacing between the sharpened tip and shaft and changing the hook angle. The shape of the circle hook makes it harder for ETP bycatch to get hooked due to differences in jaw morphologies, but doesn’t impact catch rates in fish and can even in some cases increase catch rates.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles

Gears and Best Practices

Decreased Soak Times

Soak time is the amount of time that deployed fishing gear stays in the water. The longer the gear is set in the water, the higher the bycatch rate will be.

Fishery Type

Gillnets, Longline, Purse Seine, Trawls

Ocean Region

Eastern Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean, Southern Atlantic Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean

Target Species

Atlantic Cod, Groundfish, Mahi, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, Sharks and Rays

Gears and Best Practices

Hook Shielding Devices

A hook shielding device encases or covers the tip of the baited hook during the longline set to prevent predation by seabirds. The shielding devices is designed to then open or release the hook at a specified depth below which seabirds can dive.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

Northern Pacific Ocean, Southern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Seabirds

Gears and Best Practices

Night Settings

Seabirds are visual hunters and most active during daylight hours. By shifting to setting fishing gear when it is dark, seabird interaction with baited hooks and nets is greatly reduced thereby decreasing bycatch rates.

Fishery Type

Longline, Gillnets, Trawls

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Seabirds

Gears and Best Practices

Non-Steel Leaders

Leaders are a segment of the branch line that the baited hook is directly attached to. For fisheries that do not retain sharks, it is recommended to use a leader material that can be cut, allowing sharks to break off in the water, or be cut from the main line by the crew when hauling.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Sharks and Rays

Gears and Best Practices

Sharkguard

Longline fisheries set out a long main line with hundreds to thousands of baited hooks attached on branch lines. Sharks and rays are attracted to baited hooks in addition to target species resulting in tens of millions caught as bycatch in longline fisheries each year.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Sharks and Rays

Gears and Best Practices

Smart Buoys

Smart buoys provide constant location information so that gear can be tracked remotely, which helps fishers locate gear if it has come loose or moved in a storm. Importantly, it also can alert fishers when buoy lines are being dragged, for example provide continuous real-time location data of entangled whales which would greatly increase disentanglement success.

Fishery Type

Gillnets, Longline, Pots/Traps, Purse Seine

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, Southern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Atlantic Cod, Hake, American Lobster, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, Sharks and Rays

Fishery Improvement Project

Tunago and Thai Union Pacific Ocean Tuna Longline FIP

This tuna longline fishery is addressing bycatch issues through increased data-collection with electronic monitoring systems and a commitment to numerous bycatch mitigation best practices.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

Eastern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean

Target Species

Tuna

Bycatch Species

Sea Turtles, Sharks and Rays, Seabirds

Gears and Best Practices

Weighted Branchline

Weighted branch lines increase the sink rate of baited hooks decreasing the amount of time that they can be predated on by seabirds and that seabirds can get hooked.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Seabirds