November 30, 2020 — The following was released by the Hawaii Longline Association:
Hawaii-based longline vessels will voluntarily switch to monofilament leaders to promote shark conservation, the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) has announced.
The Hawaii longline fishery is among the most comprehensively managed in the world. With around 140 active vessels based out of Honolulu Harbor, the fleet is highly monitored and subject to a suite of leading protected species mitigation measures. These measures include requiring 45-gram minimum weights so that hooks will sink quickly out of seabird foraging depths, as well as the use of a type of “circle” hook that reduces the severity of interactions with sea turtles and false killer whales.
Although beneficial for sea turtles and false killer whales, sharks are more likely to be caught by the circle hooks. Hawaii longline vessels don’t retain sharks and most are released alive, but since most sharks are unable to bite through a wire leader, some sharks die on the line. Unfortunately, this includes oceanic whitetip sharks, which are now listed as “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
Switching to monofilament leader material will allow sharks to bite through the line just above the hook, thus reducing the severity of the interaction that otherwise would occur using wire leaders. Monofilament leaders will also facilitate releasing sharks and other animals, as the material is much easier to cut than wire. Crew safety remains paramount, and the transition to monofilament leaders will be phased to ensure safety. However, the Hawaii Longline Association is setting July 1, 2021 as the target for the fleetwide conversion.
“This is an industry-led initiative to promote shark conservation and another example of the Hawaii longline fleet as a global leader in responsible fishing practices,” says HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma, PhD.