Solutions To Seabird Bycatch In Alaska's Demersal Longline Fisheries

This research project resulted from the requirement within the US Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion that the National Marine Fisheries Service evaluate the effectiveness of seabird bycatch deterrents and is the first comprehensive test of deterrent effectiveness in an active demersal longline fishery. This report includes results of research conducted over two years in the Gulf of Alaska/Aleutian Island individual Fishing Quota longline fishery for sablefish and halibut, and the Bering Sea catcher-processor longline fishery for Pacific cod. The authors report the results of experimentally rigorous tests of seabird bycatch deterrents on the behavior, attack rate, and hooking rate of seabirds. Based on the results, they recommend a suite of bycatch mitigation measures for each fishery. Grant no. NA76RG0119