Measuring hook sink times to depth in small longline vessels

This report provides an update on recent research conducted on New Zealand longline vessels. Both demersal and pelagic longline fisheries in New Zealand are primarily executed by small vessels, and both fishing methods are known to pose seabird bycatch risk. The ability to provide fishers with accurate sink times to depth is particularly useful in the externally weighted demersal longline fishery where fishers can, and do, increase line weighting to reduce bycatch risk to seabirds.