Saving Seafood

Federal Fisheries Managers Enact Shark Conservation Effort Initiated By Hawaii Longline Association

May 25, 2022 — A conservation effort initiated by the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA), which is expected to reduce oceanic whitetip shark catch and mortality, will go into effect on May 31, 2022, according to a release issued yesterday by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC). This effort was initiated by HLA as a voluntary transition from steel wire leaders to more shark-friendly monofilament nylon leaders. The initiative was announced at the December 2020 WPRFMC meeting, and received broad support from industry, scientists, and conservation groups, including The Ocean Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The following is excerpted from a release by the WPRFMC:

An industry-led conservation measure to reduce impacts to oceanic whitetip sharks is the latest example in a long history of bottom-up federal fishery management through the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

Starting May 31, 2022, the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery that targets bigeye tuna will be prohibited from using wire leaders, which reduces a shark’s ability to free itself from an accidental hooking by biting through the line. In addition, all longline fisheries operating under the Council’s Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) will be required to remove trailing gear from oceanic whitetip sharks before releasing them. Combined, these measures are expected to reduce oceanic whitetip shark catch and mortality by about 30%.

This conservation effort was initiated by the Hawaii Longline Association as a voluntary transition from steel wire leaders to more shark-friendly monofilament nylon leaders. The initiative was announced at the Council’s December 2020 meeting, and received broad support from industry, scientists and conservation groups like The Ocean Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Through the stakeholder-based process established under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Council developed an FEP amendment to make the leader material change a requirement, and finalized its recommendation in June 2021. The Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) developed the rule package, and NMFS issued a proposed rule in January 2022 and final rule in April 2022.

Read the full release from the WPRFMC

New Rule Focuses on Improving Survival of Hooked Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

April 29, 2022 — NOAA Fisheries, working with Hawaiʻi longline fishermen and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, has taken a big step in protecting threatened oceanic whitetip sharks.

A new regulation, effective May 31, 2022, prohibits the use of wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery in favor of monofilament nylon leaders. This is a change that longline fishermen started on their own in November 2020.

Oceanic whitetip sharks were once one of the most abundant sharks in the ocean. Today, they are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Oceanic whitetips are top predators and play a critical role in the ecosystem by maintaining the populations of species below them in the food chain. In the hunt for a meal, oceanic whitetips are sometimes caught unintentionally (or hooked) in longline fisheries as bycatch—one of the greatest threats to their survival. The switch to nylon leaders is estimated to increase the survival rates of hooked whitetips by more than 30 percent!

“The Hawaiʻi fishing fleet sets the standard for longline tuna fishing, with high levels of observer coverage and strong regulations to limit the effects of the fishery on protected species,” said Michael Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office. “These new regulations to protect oceanic whitetip sharks continue this long legacy of responsible fishing in the Pacific Islands region. We hope fishing fleets around the world will adopt these practices.”

Read the full story from NOAA Fisheries

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing line recycling program comes to Gloucester

July 12, 2016 — The state Division of Marine Fisheries is trying to get the word out to recreational anglers: It’s time to begin recycling discarded monofilament fishing line before it finds its way into the state’s oceans, streams and lakes as a danger to marine creatures and vessels alike.

DMF has initiated a new program, aimed at both education and conservation, called the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program, based largely on a program started by the Iowa-based Berkley Conservation Institute.

The program’s ultimate goal is to create a network of marked recovery bins at popular fishing locations throughout the state where recreational anglers can dispose of the monofilament as a first step toward recycling the synthetic fishing line into fishing habitats or other products.

“Our focus is to educate the recreational fishermen so they can understand the substantial impact this material has on wildlife,” said Maren Olson, who works on the angler education and clear vessel programs at DMF. “It doesn’t biodegrade and it doesn’t go away.”

Read the full story in the Gloucester Daily Times