Characteristics of sea turtle incidental catch of the Taiwanese longline fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean

For understanding the incidental catch of sea turtles by longline fisheries, one hundred and three trips, 13096 observed sets and 40.75 million hooks from Taiwanese large scale longline fishing vessels were collected in the Atlantic Ocean from March 2004 to December 2011. Six hundred and twenty six turtles were caught. The incidental catch rates ranged from 0.000-0.0311 per 1000 hooks which were highest in tropical Atlantic Ocean from April to June. The major incidental catch species were leatherback (59.9%), Olive Ridley turtle (28.0%), and loggerhead turtles (9.3%). Around 40% were released alive and 35.1% were dead. Most sea turtles are hooking (56.1%).