HAWAII LONGLINE OBSERVER PROGRAM
ANNUAL STATUS REPORT
January 1, 2003 - December 31, 2003
Pacific Islands Regional Office
National Marine Fisheries Service
February 9, 2004
The Hawaii-based pelagic longline fishery targeting swordfish and tunas has been monitored under a mandatory observer program since February 1994. Beginning March 1994, branch personnel have conducted daily shoreside dock rounds in Honolulu to determine which fishing vessels are in port. These dock rounds are used to obtain an estimate of fishing effort on a real-time basis by assuming that a vessel is fishing when it is absent from the harbor. This report is used to ensure prompt dissemination of Hawaii Longline Observer Data and may be revised. The following table summarizes percent observer coverage for vessel departures, vessels arriving with observers, and protected species interactions for vessels arriving with observers during 2003.
Vessel Departures - 2003 (January 1, 2003 - December 31, 2003) Departures ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1200 Departures with Observers ------------------------------------------------------- 266 Observer coverage 2003 ---------------------------------------------------------- 22.2% Vessels Arriving with Observers - 2003 Departures with observers in 2003 ----------------------------------------------- 266 Observers departing in 2002 arriving in 2003 ------------------------------------ 3 Observers departing in 2003 arriving in 2004 ------------------------------------ 10 Total vessels arriving with observers - 2003 ------------------------------------ 259 Protected Species Interactions - 2003 Vessels arriving with observers in 2003 ----------------------------------------- 259 Trips with turtle interactions -------------------------------------------------- 4 Trips without turtle interactions ----------------------------------------------- 255 Trips with marine mammal interactions ------------------------------------------- 5 Trips without marine mammal interactions ---------------------------------------- 254 Trips with seabird interactions ------------------------------------------------- 17 Trips without seabird interactions ---------------------------------------------- 242 Total Sea Turtle Interactions --------------------------------------------------- 4 Released Dead Olive Ridley -------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Leatherback --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Total Marine Mammal Interactions ------------------------------------------------ 5 Released Injured False Killer Whale -------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Unidentified Cetacean ----------------------------------------------------------- 1 Unidentified Whale -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Released Dead Bottlenose Dolphin -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Total Seabird Interactions ------------------------------------------------------ 68 Released Injured Black-footed Albatross ---------------------------------------------------------- 1 Released Dead Laysan Albatross ---------------------------------------------------------------- 44 Black-footed Albatross ---------------------------------------------------------- 23 Total Sets ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3204 Total Hooks Retrieved ------------------------------------------------------ 6,442,221 Turtles per 1,000 Hooks --------------------------------------------------------- 0.001 Seabirds per 1,000 Hooks 0.011 Marine Mammals per 1,000 Hooks -------------------------------------------------- 0.001 Note: The percent of observer coverage is based on vessel departures. Protected species interactions are based on vessel arrivals. For the purpose of this report, an animal that becomes hooked or entangled is an interaction. |