Retrospective and geographical overview of the interaction between seabirds and the Spanish surface longline fishery targeting Swordfish in the Indian Ocean during the 1993-2017 period inferred from data provided by scientific observers at sea | Bycatch Management Information System (BMIS)

Source URL

http://www.iotc.org/documents/retrospective-and-geographical-overview-interaction-between-seabirds-and-spanish-surface

Citation

Fernández-Costa J, Ramos-Cartelle A, Carroceda A, Mejuto J (2018) Retrospective and geographical overview of the interaction between seabirds and the Spanish surface longline fishery targeting Swordfish in the Indian Ocean during the 1993-2017 period inferred from data provided by scientific observers at sea. In: IOTC - 14th Working Party on Ecosystems and Bycatch. IOTC-2018-WPEB14-23, Cape Town, South Africa, p 16

Abstract

A total of 5.8 million hooks were scientifically observed at sea for seabird interactions in broad areas of the Indian Ocean between 1993 and 2017. Two types of information were obtained in the surface longline fleet targeting swordfish: (a) during regular commercial fishing and (b) during experimental surveys. 59.54% and 40.46% of the total effort was observed in each case, respectively. The geographical coverage of the study goes beyond the areas in which this commercial fleet has historically fished, because the information includes experimental surveys. Twenty years of regular commercial fishing data are included in the analysis and in thirteen of these years the interactions occurring were nil. Positive interaction occurred in twenty four of the one hundred and twelve 5ºx5º areas observed during regular commercial fishing and experimental surveys combined.