![]() We’re asking fishermen to not fish with pelagic long-line gear.īut there’s also a second part to the program.įishermen also have the opportunity to use gear that targets pelagic fish but catches much less bycatch. Thanks to a voluntary, 100% voluntary repose by the fishermen.Īnd the responses where we’re seeing the restoration benefit for this project were doing exactly what you said. The oceanic fish restoration projects’ aim was simply to leave more fish in the water to reproduce and grow the populations. Again, targeting species like tuna, swordfish, and other bill fish. But it’s used in both large and small scale commercial fishing operations. ![]() The average long-line is twenty-eight miles long. So yeah, we subsidized their fishing to account for the economic loss that they were incurring to be part of this project.Īs a refresher, long-line fishing refers to using a long mainline with branch lines, or gangens hanging off of it, which are then set with hooks. This was a huge disruption to the project long-line fleet. Of course, asking someone to just stop doing their job for a while is kind of a big ask. Pelagic long-line fishermen were asked not to fish for six months out of the year for the last five years. We’re asking fishermen to fish less on that species. We’re using bycatch reduction and reduced fishing pressure as a tool to restore for fish that were harmed by the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. NOAA is working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, partnering with pelagic long-line fishermen to reduce pressure on pelagic fish. And then the second way to restore for fish is to reduce mortality.Īmy works on the Ocean Fish Restoration Project, which targets pelagic species like tuna, and swordfish in the Gulf. ![]() And you do this by increasing and improving habitat. One way is to increase production of fish. This is Amy Piko, a project manager with the Restoration Center in the Office of Habitat Conservation. There’s only a couple of ways to provide restoration for fish. But how do you restore marine life? You can’t throw money in the water and magically grow fish. A great example of one of those innovative approaches is the Gulf of Mexico where in 2010 the Deep Water Horizon oil spill caused immense damage to fisheries, and habitats, and which necessitated an equally immense restoration response. And while preventing bycatch entirely may be impossible, it can be managed, accounted for, and at least mitigated through innovative approaches. And today we’ll be taking a look at bycatch reduction efforts through the lens of innovation rather than just more regulations because fishermen have to fish. The explosion was spectacular and catastrophic. The Deep Water Horizon was under contract with BP, drilling a new well in the Gulf of Mexico. But it’s also something that, at scale can cause real harm to an endangered species or slow the restoration of fisheries that have been damaged by Oh I don’t know, the worst marine oil spill in history. Bycatch happens all the time and is basically impossible to avoid. When you throw a line in the ocean you can’t absolutely say what you’re going to get. It happens when you catch a fish out of season and throw it back, or when a commercial tuna fisher hooks a shark by mistake, or when a turtle gets caught up in a net. Inadvertent catch in fishing gears all around the world. The term “bycatch” is sort of a boring name for a pretty common circumstance.
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