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Comments by CR Fishing Captain |
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Written by Admin
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Thursday, 07 July 2005 |
Commentary by Rafael Fallas Arias, Captain of Costa Rican longline fishing vessel Longline Fishing Not Selective
In the educational booklet “Capture Fish not Sea Turtles with Longlines” written by Erick Gilman in 2004, longline fishing is described as a fairly selective method of fishing. He also states that if the line is set deeper than 40 meters, the number of sea turtles captured is significantly reduced.
However, based on experience captaining longline vessels for nearly 20 years, I think it’s important to include the following comments regarding the above mentioned statements:
• Longlining in my experience is not a fully selective fishing method, given the capture of a variety of species such as fish, sharks, manta rays, birds, marine mammals and turtles. Furthermore, the size of species captured varies significantly; both juveniles and adults are captured.
• When setting the line at depths greater than 40 meters, it is possible that the number of sea turtles will be reduced; however, the turtles which are incidentally captured at those depths will very probably die. On the other hand, when the line is set at shallower depths, it is probable that more turtles will be captured, but they will survive.
In conclusion, I believe the survival of species captured incidentally during longline fishing operations, such as sea turtles and dolphins, depends directly on the treatment given them by the fishermen on board. For example, use of “dehookers” and the amount of time these species are allowed to recover on deck are fundamental to their survival.
For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 July 2005 )
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