Current Classification on List of Fisheries
Category
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III
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Estimated Number of Participants
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5
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Target Species
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Various pelagic species
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Applicable Take Reduction Plans
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None
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Observer Coverage
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Not observed
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Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured
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None documented
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^ 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
Several species of odontocetes have been reported as depredating bait or catch from hook-and-line fisheries (Shallenberger, 1981; Nitta and Henderson, 1993). Depredation behavior may increase the risk of marine mammals becoming hooked or entangled. Stranding records and other information suggest several odontocete species may be killed or injured in unidentified hook-and-line fisheries (Bradford and Lyman, 2015; Baird et al., 2014). However, at this time, no serious injuries or mortalities to any marine mammal have been attributed to commercial vertical line fishing. Based on an evaluation of information available at this time, there is a remote likelihood of marine mammal serious injuries or mortalities in this fishery.
Distribution
Fishing occurs near drop-offs, deep ledges, offshore fish aggregating devices, or offshore seamounts and pinnacles in state and federal waters. In 2013, there were 11 fishing trips that reported using vertical line gear.
Gear Description
This fishery uses set line gear. Fishing using a vertical mainline, less than one nautical mile in length and suspended from the surface with a float, from which leaders with baited hooks are attached and ending with a terminal weight.
Management
The fishery is monitored and managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), NOAA Fisheries, and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, as appropriate. In general, fisheries are managed for the species harvested rather than by gear, but in some cases there are specific management measures for particular gear types or methods.
In federal waters, harvest of Western Pacific pelagic management unit species is managed in accordance with the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pacific Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region and implementing regulations under 50 CFR 665.798 through 665.819.
A commercial marine license issued by DAR is required for all commercial fishing activities. This fishery corresponds to the following fishing method(s) defined by DAR: vertical line.
Historical Information
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Original Category (Year added to the LOF)
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III (2011)
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Original Number of Participants
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18
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Basis for Original Classification
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There are no known incidental mortalities or serious injuries of marine mammals in this fishery, and there is a remote likelihood of marine mammal interactions, warranting a Category III classification
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Past Names
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“HI vertical longline” (until 2015)
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Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)
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N/A
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Timeline of Changes
| 2023 |
- Estimated number of participants updated from none recorded to 5.
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| 2022 |
- Estimated number of participants updated from 6 to none recorded.
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|
2015
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|
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2013
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|
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2012
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|
References
Baird, R.W., S.D. Mahaffy, A.M. Gorgone, T. Cullins, D.J. McSweeney, E.M. Oleson, A.L. Bradford, J. Barlow, and A.N. Zerbini. 2014. Evidence of high levels of fisheries interactions for false killer whales around the main Hawaiian Islands: Variations by social groups and correlation with increased mortality levels. PSRG-2014-15. 10 p.
Bradford, A.L. and E. Lyman. 2015. Injury determinations for humpback whales and other cetaceans reported to NOAA Response Networks in the Hawaiian Islands during 2007-2012. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA-TM-NMFS-PIFSC-45. 29 p.
Nitta, E.T. and J.R. Henderson. 1993. A review of interactions between Hawaii’s fisheries and protected species. Marine Fisheries Review 55(2): 83-92.
Shallenberger, E.W. 1981. The status of Hawaiian cetaceans. Final Report to U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, MMC-77/23. 79 p.
Female Hawaiian monk seal RO28, one of the “monk seal matriarchs,” and her pup on Kaua‘i. Credit: Val Bloy
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
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette off Maui in 2004. Homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is a multipurpose oceanographic research vessel that conducts fisheries assessments, physical and chemical oceanography research, marine mammal and marine debris surveys. The ship operates throughout the central and western Pacific Ocean. Credit: NOAA/Ray Boland.
Tournament fishing in the Pacific Islands region occurs year-round, drawing in local participants and visitors (non-residents) to the state. The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected in-person fishing activities and much of the fishing and seafood industry. Credit: NOAA Fisheries