Long-Lining Issues
Long-line fishing is the commercial fishing industry’s form of classic hook and line fishing, only far more hazardous and deadly. Fishing boats trail a main fishing line that can be up to 60 miles long, with other lines branching off of it that have thousands of sharp, baited hooks.
The baited hooks easily attract bycatch, which includes sea turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks, seabirds and other non-target fish. Some estimates argue that long-line fishing kills more than 40,000 sea turtles, 300,000 seabirds, thousands of marine mammals, and millions of sharks every year.
Turtles
Sea turtles are one of the endangered species of long-lining. Because they are attracted to the bait used on long-line hooks, the sea turtles try to swallow them and end up dying slowly and painfully. They can also be critically injured by a hook in the mouth or a hook that snags and tears their flippers as they swim by the lines. In addition, sea turtles can get tangled in the fishing lines and can even drown if a large fish near them bites a hook and pulls the line down, keeping them from surfacing for air.
The leatherback sea turtle is extremely vulnerable to long-lining, because the light sticks that are used to attract fish look like jellyfish, which is the leatherback's favorite food. A new kind of hook called a "circle hook" has proven, in some studies, to be safer and less deadly to sea turtles than the regularly used "J" hooks.
The leatherback sea turtle is extremely vulnerable to long-lining, because the light sticks that are used to attract fish look like jellyfish, which is the leatherback's favorite food. A new kind of hook called a "circle hook" has proven, in some studies, to be safer and less deadly to sea turtles than the regularly used "J" hooks.
Marine Mammals
Sperm whales, pilot whales, dolphins, and orcas are also attracted to either the bait or the fish caught on the hooks. Dolphins and pilot whales suffer injury from swallowing the hooks or drowning if they become tangled in the lines. Even if the lines are cut, the wounded animals usually swim off to die.
Seabirds
Long-line fishing also presents an enticing, but deadly, source of food for seabirds like the endangered albatrosses and petrels.
The birds get knotted in the lines and can possibly drown. They can also receive fatal injuries from the hooks when they dive after the bait. Hundreds of albatross die each week because of this.
Different strategies and techniques that limit the threat to seabirds are available. These strategies include sinking the hooks deeper than seabirds can dive, using streamers called “tori lines” to frighten the birds away, and fishing at night because the birds feed during the day.
The birds get knotted in the lines and can possibly drown. They can also receive fatal injuries from the hooks when they dive after the bait. Hundreds of albatross die each week because of this.
Different strategies and techniques that limit the threat to seabirds are available. These strategies include sinking the hooks deeper than seabirds can dive, using streamers called “tori lines” to frighten the birds away, and fishing at night because the birds feed during the day.
Sharks
When it comes to shark fining, long-liners are the worst culprits. This fishing strategy is very successful for catching sharks and many long-line vessels particularly fish for sharks. Nevertheless, some long-liners that catch sharks will cut off their fins before throwing them back into the water, leaving them to bleed to death.