Table of Contents

Preface.

The Authors.

1. Introduction.

1.1 Basic Definitions.

1.2 Longline Fishing from Historical Perspective.

2. Principles of Longline Catching Process.

2.1 Passive and Active Fishing Gears.

2.2 Feeding Behaviour and Chemical Sensing: The Basis for Fishing with Baited Gears.

2.3 How Fish Locate Baited Longlines.

2.4 The Hooking Process.

3. Gear Construction, Operation and Vessels.

3.1 The Gear: Mainline, Snoods, Materials, Hooks, Hook Spacing and Bait.

3.2 Methods of Settling Longlines.

3.3 The Longline Fishing Cycle and Modes of Operation.

3.4 Mechanised Longlinning.

3.5 Longline Vessels.

3.6 Electronic Instrumentation.

3.7 Safety Aspects of Longlinning.

3.8 Handling of the Catch.

3.9 The Longline Fisherman.

4. Main Target Species and the Relative Importance of Longlining.

4.1 Tuna in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

4.2 Groundfish in the North Atlantic.

4.3 Groundfish in the North Eastern Pacific.

4.4 Hake in the Atlantic.

5. Gear Parameters and Catching Efficiency.

5.1 Research Methods.

5.2 Natural Bait.

5.3 Artificial Bait.

5.4 The Hook.

5.5 The Snood and Snood Attachment.

5.6 Hook Spacing.

5.7 The Mainline.

5.8 Bait Loss and Other Factors Affecting the Catching Efficiency of Longlines.

6. Selective Properties of Longline Gear.

6.1 The Importance of gear Selectivity.

6.2 Species Selection.

6.3 Size Selection.

7. Longlinning Compared with other Fishing Methods.

7.1 The Relative Catching Efficiency of Longlinning.

7.2 Responsible Fishing.

7.3 Effects on Fish Scotks and Fisheries Employment.

References and Selected Literature.

Glossary.

Common and scientific names of some important longline target species.

Index.

About the Author

Asmund Bjordal is Research Director of the Department of Marine Resources at the Institute of Marine Research.