West Coast Pelagic Longline Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.

*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).

¹ Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.

Basis for Current Classification

Classified as a Category III fishery based on the limited amount of documented mortality or serious injuries of marine mammals.

Distribution

This fishery targets bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna along with opah and other highly migratory species (HMS) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) outside of the U.S. EEZ, which extends 3-200 nm (5.6-370.4 km) off the coast. The fishery generally extends south to 20 degrees North latitude, and west to 140 degrees West longitude. Bigeye tuna is normally targeted at depths from anywhere between 250-400 meters (820.2-1312.3 ft) during the daytime.

Gear Description

The gear consists of a 45-60 nm (83.3-111.1 km) long monofilament main line approximately 3.2-3.5 mm (0.1 inch) thick that is set, retrieved, and stored on large hydraulic reels. The main line is suspended at the target fishing depth by orange inflatable floats attached via float lines made of monofilament or braided line. Part of the array used to suspend the main line includes 7 to 9 radio buoys, used to show the location and footprint of the gear on the radar of the fishing vessel. Attached to the main line are 2,000-3,500 monofilament branch lines (usually 15-30 between each float), each 8-15 m (26.2-49.2 ft) in length. These lines culminate in a swivel weight from which a leader line of 0.5-1 m (1.6-3.3 ft) extends to a size 16/0-18/0 baited offset circle hook. The bait used in this fishery consists of either frozen mackerel, saury, sardine, squid, or a combination of all four bait types.

Management

The fishery is managed under the HMS Fishery Management Plant (FMP) by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC). All U.S West Coast vessels targeting tropical tunas require a Federal HMS permit with a deep-set longline (DSLL) endorsement, and registration with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). Use of either shallow-set or deep-set pelagic longline gear within the U.S. EEZ of the U.S. West Coast is prohibited. The HMS FMP does not permit shallow-set longline (SSLL) fishing, although SSLL vessels fishing under a Hawaii longline permit (under the Pelagics FMP) do make landings into California. Use of a vessel monitoring system (VMS), attendance at protected species workshops, and the possession/use of sea turtle and seabird mitigation gear and safe handling techniques are required. The use of light sticks or any other light emitting devices is prohibited.

The IATTC specifies trip limits (for certain vessel classes/sizes) and yearly catch limits each year for all tuna species in the Convention Area. The West Coast DSLL vessels participating in this fishery are not subject to trip limits due to all of the vessels being under 24 m (78.7 ft) in length; however, these vessels cannot exceed the yearly catch limits set for bigeye tuna and other tuna species. Federal logbooks are required for all fisheries targeting HMS. Observers are mandatory for at least 20 percent of the total trips for the calendar year.

Historical Information

Timeline of Changes