Longliners offer solution to problem with bird kill

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

Representatives of Hawai'i's longline fishing industry say they have found a way to catch swordfish without killing thousands of albatross that dive on their baited hooks.

Barry Woods, on the crew of the longline fishing boat Katy Mary, demonstrates the traditional method of throwing out line with hooks. Hanging off the boat is a metal chute designed to keep line and bait underwater so sea birds won't get caught in the line as they dive for bait. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The turtle problem shut down the swordfish fishery in 1999. And the accidental albatross kill could still cause a furor if the industry finds a way to resume swordfishing without harming turtles, said Jim Cook of the Hawai'i Longline Association.

Capt. Jerry Ray of the 85-foot Katy Mary demonstrated a new line-setting "chute" yesterday that keeps hooks enclosed until they are 16 feet below the surface.

Ray said 25 albatross were caught in a two-week test when lines were thrown into the ocean as usual, but no birds were snagged when lines were fed through the chute. The development is a breakthrough for wildlife protection, Ray said, and could save money for fishing boats because it makes sure bait is intact.

Cook said the industry is working on ways to protect turtles in an effort to reopen the fishery.

Hundreds of turtles were being killed by fishing gear every year until the Ocean Conservancy sued and U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra barred Hawai'i swordfish longliners from a large area north of Hawai'i.

Seabird losses also have been a concern. The National Marine Fisheries Service ordered boats to dye bait blue, use heavier weights, rig scarecrows, and dump fish parts to divert flocks, all in an effort to protect the birds.

The chute that was demonstrated yesterday could end all those measures, said Kathy Cousins, biologist with the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Cousins said dye might not fool birds for long because their sense of smell is better than their eyesight; that heavier weights endanger fishing crews; that the scarecrow isn't effective in high wind or seas; and that dumping fish guts off a boat trains birds to come to a boat to feed.

Eric Gilman, Pacific representative of the National Audubon Society's Living Oceans program, said he wanted the council to evaluate existing methods first.

The chute seems better, but captains might not like it, he said. "It worked on one vessel here with considerable effort, but when it was used on 10 boats in Australia, three boats quit very soon because it was too much of a pain," Gilman said.

Biologist Nigel Brothers of Australia said industry support is necessary. "If you don't have blokes prepared to give (the chute) a fair chance, you're stuck before you start," Brothers said.

Ray said using the chute was not hard, although it took time to learn, and keeping baits from being snatched by seabirds or from falling off hooks when thrown means more fish will be caught.

Cousins said the fishery council is concerned about the three albatross species here. One, the short-tailed albatross, is on the U.S. endangered list.

Only about 1,300 of the birds are left, and only a handful come to Hawai'i. That may explain why none have been reported caught by fishing gear here, she said.

An estimated 1,388 black-footed albatross had been dying in fishing gear in Hawai'i every year until swordfishing was banned.

There are 300,000 black-footed albatross left, and the World Conservation Union labels them "vulnerable."

The Laysan albatross numbers 2.4 million and is not protected.

Some 1,175 were estimated hooked and killed by fishing gear each year in Hawai'i until swordfishing was stopped, Cousins said.