Tuna Fishermen Learn To Save Turtles By Using Circle Hooksff

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Dozens of fishermen from three south-central provinces are receiving training in reduction of “bycatch,” or accidental netting of creatures they do not intend to catch.

The training course, which began earlier this month, is a part of the second phase of a program titled “Marine turtle bycatch and longline observer” implemented by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) with financial support from the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Dutch company IbroMar B.V, a leading buyer of yellow fin tuna in Viet Nam.

Longline fishing involves using thousands of baited hooks on a single line.

The fishermen, from Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa Provinces, have a chance to observe bycatch during tuna longline fishing, with turtles, sharks and other fish species being caught accidentally in the nets.

New hook

They also get to see the testing of the new circle hook technology to reduce bycatch. Circle hooks are sharply curved back so that they are rarely swallowed by fish and thus do not get caught in their gills or other organs.

”These activities will help not only reduce marine turtle bycatch mortality – a key conservation objective – but will also help bridge improvements in overall tuna fisheries management,” Keith Symington, WWF Bycatch Strategy Leader for the Coral Triangle and Western Pacific, said.

Started in November 2006, Phase I of the project aimed to raise awareness of the role of marine turtles in ocean ecosystems, the impact of fishing activities on these endangered species, and to identify “hot spots” where marine turtles interact with fishing gear in Viet Nam’s territorial waters. The fishermen are also being trained in marine turtle rescue and handling techniques.

After receiving training on observer program protocols, by-catch species identification and data recording, three scientists from the Research Institute of Marine Fisheries also boarded longline fishing boats from Binh Dinh to test their training and begin recording data.

”The result of their trips will serve to enlarge the observer program and commence circle hook trials in early 2009. This will be a key activity of phase II scheduled to last through to January of 2010,” Nguyen Dieu Thuy, WWF’s Fisheries Officer, said.