Serious Injury Determinations for Cetaceans Caught in Hawaii Longline Fisheries During 1994-2008

摘要

This document summarizes observer data on the mortality and injury of cetaceans in Hawaiibased pelagic longline fisheries for tuna (deep-set fishery) and swordfish (shallow-set fishery) during the most recent 5-year period (2004-2008) and re-evaluates all 1994-2008 cetacean serious-injury determinations in these two fisheries on a case-by-case basis using the new criteria developed at the 2007 Serious Injury Technical Workshop (Appendix A; reprinted from Andersen et al. 2008). Regulations in place since 2004 require 100% observer coverage for the shallow-set fishery, so the reported cetacean deaths and injuries for 2004-2008 represent the total number of takes in the fishery. Observer coverage for the deep-set fishery is currently required to be at least 20% annually, so the number of reported deaths and injuries for 2004-2008 are a sample of fleet-wide bycatch. Total bycatch estimates by U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone area and cetacean stock area are presented elsewhere (McCracken and Forney 2010).