Incidental catch of seabirds by longline fisheries in Alaska
R.A. Stehn, K.S. RIvera, S. Fitzgerald, and K.D. Wohl
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Description
The incidental catch of seabirds by longline fisheries is a conservation issue in Alaska. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) certified observers record seabirds and fish species caught by longline fisheries for Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and other groundfish in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Total estimated annual mortality of seabirds in the Alaskan longline groundfish fisheries was 14,000 birds between 1993 and 1997, ranging from 9,400 birds in 1993 to 20,200 birds in 1995. Approximately 83% of the take occurred in the BSAI region. The estimated annual bycatch rate was 0.090 birds per 1,000 hooks in the BSAI and 0.057 birds per 1,000 hooks in the GOA regions between 1993 and 1997. Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) represented about 66% of the total estimated bycatch of all bird species, gulls (Larus hyperboreus, L. glaucescens) contributed 18%, while Laysan Albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis) accounted for 5% and Black-footed Albatrosses (P. nigripes) were about 4% of the total. During the period from 1993 to 1997, only one Short-tailed Albatross (P. albatrus) was recorded in the observer sample and the estimated annual take averaged 1 for this species. NMFS implemented regulations in May 1997 requiring longline groundfish vessels to use seabird avoidance measures, and in 1998, similar regulations were enacted for the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) fishery. Continued data collection by NMFS-certified observers and improved data analyses will allow the effectiveness of these bird avoidance measures to be monitored.
Item details
- Item number: AK-SG-01-01d
- Year: 2001
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.4027/sbtrs.2001.04
