New round hooks developed in three years of research appear to reduce unintentional snaring of endangered sea turtles by 65 to 90 per cent, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States announced. “The results of this study have global implications for all nations with longline fishing fleets,†NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service director Dr. William Hogarth said in a statement.
Turtle bycatch reduction techniques tested in the Grand Banks, notably in reference to leatherback and loggerhead turtles, “are a viable solution for meeting everyone's objectives,†Dr. Hogarth said of the research.
Dramatic reduction occurs by switching to the newly developed round hook and bait from the traditional J-style hook with squid as bait - often used in swordfish and tuna fishing - to a large circle style hook with mackerel.
Bluewater Fisherman’s Association, a commercial longline group with 13 vessels that participated in the project with NOAA, sees the new approaches as “the answer we have all been waiting forâ€, according to its executive director Nelson Beideman.
“We have successfully documented practical ways for pelagic longline fishermen to overwhelmingly reduce sea turtle interactions and also to substantially reduce harm from any remaining sea turtle interactions,†Mr. Beideman said. “The cost of introducing circle-style hooks would be pretty much negligible because hooks are routinely changed anyway.â€
He says they are even a little bit cheaper to make than the J style hooks.