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Seabird Avoidance Gear and Methods

The presence of "free" food in the form of offal and bait attracts many birds to fishing operations. In past years, more than 20,000 seabirds were hooked annually in groundfish fisheries off Alaska.

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Oceanic whitetip shark swimming in deep ocean waters. Oceanic whitetip shark. Hawaiʻi longline fishermen use leaders to connect weighed branch lines and baited hooks. A new rule prohibits steel wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery, starting May 31, 2022. The rule aims to increase the survival of hooked oceanic whitetip sharks caught as bycatch in the Pacific Islands region. Credit: Andy Mann