Protected marine species and the tuna longline fishery in the Pacific Islands

by Mike King

The bycatch issue in the longline tuna fishery — the accidental catching on longlines of endangered and protected species, particularly turtles — is one that could eventually result in the loss of important markets for tuna from Pacific Island countries. The protection of threatened species and the Pacific Island longline fishery requires both awareness and cooperative action regarding bycatch.

This booklet provides information for fishermen, boat owners, processors and others in the longline fishing industry. It is designed for use by fisheries trainers and the final sections contain training aids and a list of additional reference materials. It is hoped that this booklet will be used by trainers as the basis for incorporating sessions on the bycatch issue into existing and planned training courses for fishing industries across the Pacific.

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Table of contents:

1. Tuna longlining and the bycatch issue
    1.1 What is tuna longlining?
    1.2 What is bycatch?
    1.3 The bycatch issue
2. Which bycatch species are encountered?
    2.1 Sea turtles
    2.2 Sharks
    2.3 Seabirds
    2.4 Marine mammals
3. Why be concerned about bycatch?
4. What can be done?
5. What other information is available?
6. Resource material for trainers