The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, in collaboration with the Hawaii Longline Association, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office conducted a study comparing the efficacy of tori lines and blue-dyed fish bait as seabird mitigation measures for the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery. The study was conducted under an Experimental Fishing Permit, and involved 7 total trips on 3 deep-set longline vessels. The vessels alternated sets between two treatments: 1) blue-dyed bait used in conjunction with branch line weights; and 2) tori line used in conjunction with untreated bait and branch line weights. On all sets, crew were instructed not to discharge offal or spent bait during setting operations. Data on seabird strike attempts and contacts were collected throughout each setting operation using stern video cameras connected to the vessel’s EM system. The study results showed that tori lines were a far more effective seabird bycatch mitigation measure than blue-dyed fish bait.

Click here to read the final study report.

Click here to read the report from first study conducted in 2019-2020 – “Practicality and Efficacy of Tori Lines to Mitigate Albatross Interactions in the Hawaii Deep-set Longline Fishery.”