Seabird by-catch is summarised for the period July 2000-June 2001 for sanctioned longline fishing for Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides in South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone around the Prince Edward Islands. There was a slight increase in the number of fishing trips and hooks set in 1999/2000. The number of seabirds killed dropped dramatically from 268 in 1999/2000 to 76 in 2000/2001. White-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis accounted for 85.5% of the six species killed.
There is no abstract available for this document.
There is no abstract available for this document.
There is no abstract available for this document.
There is no abstract available for this document.
There is no abstract available for this document.
Abstract:
The history of the fishery for Patagonian toothfish in the Prince Edward Islands EEZ is reviewed briefly. It is characterised by very large illegal catches and a sharply declining longline CPUE trend. Application of a simple age-structured production model provides robust indication that the spawning biomass has been depleted to at most a few percent only of its pre-exploitation level. Projections suggest that the annual TAC should be reduced to at most about 400 tonnes. Implications for surveillance are discussed.