Rigged Lumo Leads - Image courtesy of Fishtek Ltd
Seabirds
Sliding Leads are an alternative to leaded swivels. They are designed to increase branch line sink rates (to get baited hooks rapidly out of the range of feeding seabirds) and protect crew safety. Sliding Leads slide away from crew during bite offs or when the line breaks under tension, thereby greatly reducing the incidence of dangerous fly-backs towards the vessel, as can occur with leaded swivels.
Lumo Leads are a variant on Sliding Leads, with additional advantages. Lumo Leads include an encapsulating 2 mm luminescent nylon sheath that glows for up to 6 hours, attracting fish to the hook, and which also prevents the crew from handling exposed lead during gear rigging, setting and hauling.
Technical details are discussed on the commercial website Fishtek Marine.
Combination with other measures
Line weighting is considered to be one of the most important mitigation measures, but to maximise its effectiveness, it should be combined with bird-scaring lines and night setting. When used in combination, bird-scaring lines protect the area behind the vessel in which the baited hooks are still accessible to seabirds (up to 10-m depth), while the line weighting shrinks the extent of the area that the bird-scaring lines need to protect.
Effect on Other Bycatch Species
Sliding leads with no illumination have no impact on other bycatch species.
Luminescent sliding leads increase the risk of sea turtle bycatch.
Ease of Deployment and Safety
Both at-sea trials in South Africa and on-shore trials in Australia indicate that Sliding Leads significantly reduce the potential danger to crew posed by fly-back events.
Lumo Leads are reportedly easy to attach, locking to line with a patented collet line grip. They are available in two sizes, the LL45 and the LL60, weighing 45g and 60g, respectively (± 5%). The LL45 is designed to be placed on the hook, with a crimp sleeve that slides over and protects the crimp. The LL60 should be placed within 2m of the hook.
Click here for Lumo Lead fitting instructions (Fishtek Marine infographic).
Cost Information
For sizes, bulk pricing and delivery contact Fishtek Marine.
Further Research
References
- Sullivan B.J., Kibel, P., Robertson, G., Kibel, B., Goren, M., Candy, S.G. and Wienecke, B. 2012. Safe Leads for safe heads: safer line weights for pelagic longline fisheries. Fisheries Research (134-136): 125-132.
- Santos RC, Silva‐Costa A, Sant’Ana R, et al. 2019. Improved line weighting reduces seabird bycatch without affecting fish catch in the Brazilian pelagic longline fishery. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 29:442–449. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3002