Minimum Weight at the Hook Allowance of 50 g Inclusive of Hook Weight for Pelagic Longlines

When guidelines for best practice pelagic longline weighting were formulated, variability of hook weight was not taken into account. Hook weight becomes significant if line weight is added at the hook instead of away from the hook. This topic has been studied (Brothers 2009) and the issue considered without resolution by the ACAP (SBWG10 Inf 09, SBWG11 Doc15). The addition of weight at the hook, where it is most effective, is gaining operational acceptance. There are five recognised operational improvements resulting from putting weight at the hook (Robertson et al 2013, Brothers 2009). The two-fold mitigation improvement is a faster sink time and a more immediate sink response. These benefits are achieved by weighting at the hook rather than placing this same weight at any currently specified maximum distance from the hook. Success of an alternate line weighting option, such as a ‘heavy hook’, is dependent on providing fishers with an operationally agreeable product at a competitive cost, and also overcoming any new product reticence. More weight involves increased cost in both material and freight. Adherence to current guidelines and CMMs entails 10 g more weight at the hook than necessary. It is proposed therefore in pelagic fisheries mitigation guidelines that line weighting at the hook be permissible using minimum 50 g total inclusive of hook weight. It is a priority this be adopted across all relevant tRFMOs because otherwise the current CMMs only permit a minimum weight addition of 40 g at the hook with no consideration to hook weight. There is little to no mitigation performance gain by the extra 10g of weight added (if at the hook) and since 40g of added weight is acceptable in the guidelines if a fisher is using 10g hooks, a total weight minimum allowance of 50 g is only logical. While adding 40g to a 10g hook makes sense, the addition of that same regulatory weight amount to a typical 18 g - 22 g hook results in excessive weight and little to no mitigation performance gain.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. SBWG add to pelagic mitigation guidelines that 50 g inclusive of hook weight be an acceptable line weighting arrangement. 2. ACAP’s RFMO engagement strategy adds the above to the revision process of CMM 2018-03 in preparation for submission to the 21st Regular Session of the WCPFC for approval.