SMARTSNAP: A new device to aid in the reduction of bycatch mortality in longline fisheries

SMARTSNAPs are a new device to aid in reducing mortality of bycatch species caught on longlines. The device is equipped with several sensors to assist in characterizing species-specific line behavior of fish caught on longlines, with the goal to detect species in real-time and release bycatch species automatically and immediately after capture, thereby reducing the risk of negative physiological and behavioral impacts and depredation, and thus lowering mortality. The SMARTSNAP1 project has recently completed with the development of a first prototype to test the proof of concept. The prototype developed was successfully deployed in both the Gulf of Lions and the waters around La Reunion, capturing 27 individuals from 10 different species on smartsnaps. Metadata about the capture, state of the fish, fishing effort, bait, and line setup were recorded with a custom-developed metadata elogger. Sensor data for each smartsnap is stored in a specially-developed InfluxDB database, and is read from a SMARTSNAP data visualisation dashboard, to assist in comparing and analysing sensor signals. Algorithms are beginning to be developed to determine important fishing events (capture, line fighting, death), and will continue to progress towards species-specific detection. Improvements to the device are planned in future projects.