Hook Timers Research Articles

Efficacy and Temporal Capture Patterns of Bank Poles in the Kansas River: A Novel Sampling Tool for Catfish

AbstractSetlines and trotlines are useful tools for sampling catfish populations. These gears offer an alternative to sampling in habitats or conditions that are unsuitable for traditional sampling gears, and they may be capable of sampling a different subset of the population. However, little is known about their efficacy as catfish sampling gear. We developed a standardized method for deploying setlines in the form of bank poles and assessed the catch rate, species composition, and efficacy of bank poles in the Kansas River, Kansas. We also used Lindgren‐Pitman hook timers to investigate temporal patterns of capture, retention rates, and optimal soak duration. Bank poles (n = 897) were equipped with 6/0 circle hooks baited with Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix cut bait and were deployed overnight during the summers of 2018 and 2019. Bank poles captured a total of seven fish species, with 97% of the species composition being catfishes (n = 258; mean TL = 688 ± 182.7 mm; range = 392–1,310 mm). Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus (45%) was the most commonly captured species, followed by Channel Catfish I. punctatus (37%) and Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris (15%). The success rate for hooking and landing fish with bank poles was 29%. There was no difference between total catch rates from standard bank poles and those from bank poles equipped with hook timers. Higher catch rates were observed early in the set time for Channel and Flathead catfish, whereas a relatively steady catch rate was observed for Blue Catfish. Overall, 46% of catfish were caught within 3 h of gear deployment and 72% were caught within 5 h. We recommend adopting shortened soak durations (about 5 h) to prevent bait loss and to optimize fish retention. Our study provides an alternative sampling approach to increase the catch of large individuals and offers insight into the catch dynamics and interactions of passive angling gears.

Less Soak Time Saves Those upon the Line: Capture Times and Hooking Mortality of Sharks Caught on Bottom Longlines

AbstractThe National Marine Fisheries Service is mandated by the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to implement effective annual catch limits and accountability measures to prevent overfishing. These requirements compel further research into alternative fishing practices that could reduce mortality of sharks (class Chondrichthyes) and allow fishers to release unwanted sharks to the water alive, while still effectively catching targeted species. We used hook timers and temperature–depth recorders aboard contracted vessels and participants in the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Shark Research Fishery to collect hooking time and time‐on‐the‐line data for 10 species of sharks that were commonly encountered in the fishery. A subset of standardized fishing sets compared the most popular circle hook and J‐hook models. Over 60% of sharks were hooked within 4 h of hook soak time. The fastest to bite the hook was the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae and the slowest was the Dusky Shark Carcharhinus obscurus. Shark resilience to time on the longline varied among species, with Sandbar Shark C. plumbeus exhibiting the most resilience and Atlantic Sharpnose Shark the least. Shorter set soak times, approximately 2 h, would still maximize catch, while minimizing at‐vessel mortality. The most frequently used circle hook model did not significantly reduce at‐vessel mortality over large J‐style hooks. The recent circle hook requirement will have little effect for fishers that previously used 12/0 J‐hooks, but it may be beneficial by preventing the use of smaller J‐hooks that are more likely to cause at‐vessel mortality.

Variation in behavioural responses of sub-tropical marine fishes to experimental longline capture

AbstractFishes are often caught as bycatch on longlines and subsequently discarded. The behavioural response of fishes to longline capture is poorly understood, although it may be linked to the magnitude of the physiological stress response, and, ultimately, contribute to stress-induced mortality. We used accelerometers, video cameras, and hook timers to analyse the behavioural response of 13 subtropical teleost and elasmobranch species to experimental longline capture in The Bahamas. We found that, across all species and species groups, fight intensity during a capture event was best described by a negative linear and positive quadratic response. Nurse sharks and tiger sharks had lower fight intensity values and exhibited less steepness in their quadratic response during the first 10 min of capture than other species, particularly blacktip and Caribbean reef sharks. Nurse sharks also exhibited the most consistent fight intensity during the entire capture event compared to other shark species, particularly the blacknose shark. Generally, obligate ram ventilators and mixed ventilators exhibited higher steepness in fight intensity trajectories than buccal/spiracular pumpers, which had more consistent, lower fight intensity values. Behavioural responses to longline capture are species specific but may be linked to distinct evolutionary traits such as respiratory mode.

Survivorship of species caught in a longline tuna fishery in the western equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Longlines bearing “hook timers” (HTs) and alternating circle (15/0 and 17/0) and “J” (10/0) hooks were employed off the coast of Brazil to measure differences in fishing mortality associated with hook type and on-hook time between capture and boarding. A total of 431 HTs were activated, revealing a clear pattern of the increased mortality rate of fishes associated with increased on-hook time. Swordfish had high mortality rates, unlike blue sharks, which had low mortality rates regardless of hook type and the location in which the hook was transfixed. The six species of tunas and billfishes examined in this study showed a strong association between hooking location and the animal’s release condition, with reduced mortality associated with individuals hooked externally. Results suggest that knowledge of factors affecting the survival of pelagic fishes caught in longline fisheries may enable the development and adoption of fishing methods to reduce mortality of longline bycatch.

Minimizing bycatch and improving efficiency in the commercial bottom longline fishery in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

We investigated the effects of hook soak time on targeted reef species and shark bycatch in the reef fish bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning in 2010, capture time and catch per unit effort (CPUE) for the primary target species red grouper (Epinephelus morio) in the fishery were evaluated using hook timers. Findings indicated that typical duration of hook soak times is longer than necessary to efficiently harvest red grouper and a reduction in gear soak times to less than one hour would result in minimal or no reduction in red grouper CPUE. The mean capture time of sharks and red grouper differed significantly, suggesting that a reduction in soak time would likely reduce the bycatch of sharks in the fishery. The study also revealed barometric pressure, lunar phase, and fish size were significant covariates with red grouper capture times and that different bait types significantly affected CPUE. Implementing shorter hook soak times would likely improve fishery profitability and potentially reduce discards of unwanted species in the fishery.

Novel use of hook timers to quantify changing catchability over soak time in longline surveys

Fishery-independent survey sampling programs frequently undergo changes in operational procedures, which have the capacity to alter the catchability coefficient, q. To preserve the continuity of the time series, changes in sampling protocol must be accounted for within the raw data. We used data from a long-standing shark longline survey as a case-study to demonstrate a method of estimating changing catch over variable soak times. Catches of longline sets with and without hook timers were modeled using generalized linear models (GLMs) to estimate catch conversion factors over varying soak times. Estimated conversion factors were used to correct the raw catch data, which were then analyzed with delta-lognormal GLMs to estimate indices of relative abundance. Uncertainty in conversion factor estimation was calculated via bootstrap resampling and propagated through to annual indices by correcting raw data using resampled conversion factors. Added variation introduced by implementation of correction factors was relatively small compared to the magnitude of the observation error of the resulting indices of relative abundance. In species where catch rate declined over soak time, the expected CPUE of shortened soak times increased relative to standard soak times. Contrarily, if catchability increased over soak time, expected CPUE decreased in shortened soak times. Thus, we showed that the predominant practice of treating each unit of sampling effort as equal in fixed, baited gear is not appropriate, and changes in soak time should be accounted for to preserve the longevity of the time series.

Temperature Insensitivity and Behavioural Reduction of the Physiological Stress Response to Longline Capture by the Gummy Shark, Mustelus antarcticus.

Many factors influence the physiological stress response to fisheries capture in elasmobranchs. However, the influence of sea surface temperatures (SST) and behaviour are unknown and crucial considering global fishing pressures. We investigated the effect of SST and behaviour on the physiological stress response to capture of the gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus, and compared our results to a laboratory study using similar conditions to test whether stress responses of in situ capture are consistent with those from laboratory simulations. Capture time for 23 M. antarcticus ranged 32–241 min as measured by hook timers or time depth recorders (TDR) in SSTs ranging 12–20°C. TDR data from 13 M. antarcticus were analysed to quantify capture behaviour as the percentage of time spent moving during capture. Several physiological variables measured from blood samples obtained immediately upon the animals’ landing indicated that although warmer SSTs increased metabolic rate, the stress response to capture was not exacerbated by capture duration. During capture movement occurred for an average of 10% of the time and since M. antarcticus can respire whilst stationary, restricted movement probably mitigated potential influences of increased SSTs and capture duration on the stress response. Previous laboratory findings were also shown to be indicative of in situ conditions and we thus advise that studies control for water temperature given the influence it has on variables (e.g. lactate) used to measure capture stress in elasmobranchs. We highlight the importance of seasonal water temperatures and capture behaviour when assessing the resilience to fisheries capture and the implementation of appropriate fisheries management strategies.

Hooking mortality of scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini and great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran sharks caught on bottom longlines

The scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini and the great hammerhead S. mokarran are typically caught as bycatch in a variety of fisheries and are listed as globally Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Due to very high at-vessel mortality for these species, research is needed on fishing methods to reduce mortality for longline-captured sharks. A series of fishing experiments were conducted employing hook timers and temperature–depth recorders on contracted commercial vessels fishing with bottom-longline gear to assess factors related to mortality. A total of 273 sets were deployed with 54 485 hook timers. Scalloped and great hammerheads had at-vessel mortality rates of 62.9% and 56.0%, respectively. Median hooking times for scalloped and great hammerheads were 3.5 h and 3.4 h, respectively, and 50% mortality was predicted at 3.5 h and 3.8 h. When these data are considered for potential management strategies to reduce the mortality of hammerhead sharks, a limitation on gear soak time would probably improve hammerhead shark survivorship. However, it may prove to be difficult for a fishery to remain economically viable if the soak time is limited to less than the median hooking time for the target species. Additional management options, such as time/area closures, may need to be explored to reduce bycatch mortality of scalloped and great hammerheads.

At-vessel mortality and blood biochemical status of elasmobranchs caught in an Australian commercial longline fishery

This study investigates mortality of sharks in a commercial longline fishery in Australia. To examine the rate and biological, environmental and technological factors contributing to at-vessel mortality, four setlines with 120 gangions possessing ‘hook timers’ were deployed daily (for 7h and 14h) using conventional gears from two commercial fishing vessels during 2013. A total of 689 animals across 22 species and including 18 elasmobranchs were landed. For the five species (Carcharhinus spp.), and one genus (Sphyrna spp) where there were sufficient numbers for analysis, generalised linear mixed models showed that species and the elapsed time spent on the line after hooking were the strongest predictors of at-vessel mortality, with spinner (Carcharhinus brevipinna), blacktip (C. limbatus) and hammerhead (Sphyrna spp) sharks exhibiting the highest death rates. The variables which best explained mortality, included: (i) sex of the caught sharks, and the interaction between species with (ii) capture depth, and (iii) the elapsed time spent on the line after hooking. For the subset of dusky (C. obscurus) and sandbar (C. plumbeus) sharks examined for physiological status at the point of capture, very few of the 13 chosen blood analytes varied significantly. Given the observed high mortality rates and stress associated with the time spent on the line after capture, operational changes to reduce these adverse impacts should be considered. Even simple changes such as shorter soak times could considerably mitigate these impacts.

At-sea factors that affect yellowfin tuna grade in the Gulf of Mexico pelagic longline tuna fishery

Burnt tuna syndrome (BTS) is a term used to describe changes in raw tuna (sashimi) that is characterized by pale color, poor texture, and an “off” flavor. This reduction in tuna quality results in a much lower price for the fisher and significantly affects the profitability of tuna fisheries. In this study, we examine how at-sea factors, including the capture process, affect the quality of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares caught in the northern Gulf of Mexico pelagic longline fishery. Hook timers were used to record the elapsed time between a tuna taking the hook and its eventual landing. The elapsed time on the hook, tuna length, and fish boarded alive were found to be positively correlated with the proportion of tuna grading #1, while fish boarded dead and days on ice were found to be negatively correlated.

Temporal hooking variability among sharks on south-eastern Australian demersal longlines and implications for their management

An experiment was done to quantify species-specific variation in temporal hooking rates from demersal longlines targeting various carcharhinids off south eastern Australia, with a view to reducing the incidental catches of protected species, including the scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini, great hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran and grey nurse Carcharias taurus. The longline comprised a 9600 m mainline, separated into four sections (termed lines) each with 120 gangions (20 m apart) rigged with hook timers and 16/0 circle hooks baited with either sea mullet Mugil cephalus or eastern Australian salmon Arripis trutta. The mainline was deployed on each of 17 nights (between 19:30 and 23:30 h), with two lines retrieved after 7 and 14 h respectively. From a total of 8160 hooks, 246 timers were activated without hooking fish. Twenty-two species comprising 684 individuals were caught, including 52 S. lewini, 12 C. taurus, 11 S. mokarran and 1 loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta. Several environmental factors, including water temperature, moon phase and depth had mostly homogeneous, positive effects on catches. The only identified variables that might be used to considerably reduce the catches of Sphyrna were soak time and/or diurnal gear retrieval, with most individuals hooked during daylight. Simply mandating shorter deployments and within nocturnal retrieval might limit exploitation, especially among juveniles (<150cm total length). For the studied fishery to approach sustainability, future research is required to investigate other gear modifications for improving size and species selectivity, and/or operational procedures for mitigating discard and escape mortalities.

Fine-scale catch data reveal clusters of large predators in the pelagic realm

The management and conservation of large pelagic fish commonly rely on fisheries data and thus crucially depend on our understanding of the fish response to the fishing gear. Stock assessment of both tropical and temperate tuna strongly leans on the catch statistics derived from pelagic longline fisheries. However, the role of the spatial distribution of catches of tuna and bycatch species over the gear, which can affect the estimated tuna abundance, is still neglected. In this study, we analyzed data obtained from 147 instrumented pelagic longline sets equipped with hook timers and temperature depth recorders to characterize the distribution of hooking contacts and success at a fine temporal and spatial scale. Scientific surveys were carried out in the Central–South Pacific Ocean (French Polynesia), targeting tropical (Thunnus albacares, Thunnus obesus) and temperate (Thunnus alalunga) tuna. Data analysis based on spatial point processes and stochastic modeling demonstrate the presence of spatio-temporal clusters for both hooking contacts and hooking success. The comparative analysis of the observed spatio-temporal patterns for different oceanographic zones revealed the persistent structure of the clusters, suggesting that they are neither related to local environmental conditions nor to the spatial distribution of prey species.

Trotline efficiencies and catch rates in a large river

AbstractTrotlines have proved to be an effective collection method for riverine fish species, but an understanding of the interaction between fish and gear post‐deployment is lacking. The objectives of this study were to use trotlines rigged with hook timers that record the time when fish are hooked to determine the activation rate of hook timers, to determine the retention rate of fish on trot lines, to document hourly catch rates and to document whether hooking duration causes stress or mortality. Four thousand hook timers were deployed in an 80.5 rkm reach of the Missouri River during April 2011, resulting in a mean catch rate of 14.6 fish per line, while 3.1 timers per line were activated but did not capture a fish. Over half of all fish were captured within 4 h post‐deployment. Stress and mortality associated with trotlines did not appear to be related to hooking duration. This study showed that hourly catch rates and retention rates can be ascertained from the use of trotlines rigged with hook timers. Information gathered from this study and further investigation with hook timers could aid in targeting specific time of day and set duration to collect river fish more efficiently, especially sturgeons, Scaphirhynchus species.

Using Lindgren–Pitman Hook Timers to Understand the Dynamics of Trotline Catches in a Large River

Trotlines have historically been used by commercial fishers to target ictalurids and have recently been shown to be effective for collecting sturgeons Scaphirhynchus spp. However, little is known about the gear–fish interaction after trotlines are deployed. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine whether trotlines equipped with Lindgren-Pitman (LP) hook timers could withstand harsh riverine conditions and whether catch rates, retention rates of hooked fish, capture times of targeted species, and bycatch would be affected. Our results showed no difference between standardized trotlines and trotlines with hook timers and indicated that 31% of pulled hook timers resulted in no fish being collected. Hook timers were activated by 69% of all the fish collected. The majority of fish collected were shovelnose sturgeon S. platorynchus (77%), of which 70% activated the timer. The fork length of the shovelnose sturgeon that did activate the timer (571.0 ± 60.1 mm [mean ± SE]) did not differ from that of fish that did not (542.4 mm). Overall, 43% of the hook timers were activated within the first 2 h of deployment and an additional 19% in the next 2-h period; 54% of the fish were collected prior to sunset. Our study shows that hook timers can be a valuable tool that will aid in the interpretation of trotline catches. Received March 16, 2011; accepted June 14, 2011

The physiological response of the Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) to longline capture

Longline fishing is the most common elasmobranch capture method around the world, yet the physiological consequences of this technique are poorly understood. To quantify the sub-lethal effects of longline capture in the commonly exploited Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi), 37 individuals were captured using standard, mid-water longlines. Hook timers provided hooking duration to the nearest minute. Once sharks were landed, blood samples were taken and used to measure a suite of physiological parameters. Control data were obtained by sampling an additional three unrestrained Caribbean reef sharks underwater at an established shark feeding site. The greatest level of physiological disruption occurred after 120–180min of hooking, whereas sharks exposed to minimal and maximal hook durations exhibited the least disturbed blood chemistry. Significant relationships were established between hooking duration and blood pH, pCO2, lactate, glucose, plasma calcium and plasma potassium. Longline capture appears more benign than other methods assessed to date, causing a shift in the stress response from acute at the onset of capture to a sub-acute regime as the capture event progresses, apparently facilitating a degree of physiological recovery. Continued investigation into the physiological response of elasmobranchs to longline capture is vital for the effective management of such fisheries.

Catch Rates and Biological Characteristics of Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks in Puget Sound

AbstractThe bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus is a wide‐ranging marine predator and the largest predatory shark in Puget Sound. Biological characteristics of the Puget Sound bluntnose sixgill shark population remain largely undocumented, despite a recent escalation in recreational angling for the species. Standardized longline sampling, supplemented with other opportunistic collections, was used to collect size, sex ratio, and relative catch rate data at three locations during 2006–2008. Fishing trials were also used to examine the effect of soak time, fishing depth, and time of day on catch rates. Captured bluntnose sixgill sharks were exclusively subadults (175–315 cm total length) found in approximately equal sex ratios in all seasons. Catch rates were highest in Elliott Bay, the urbanized port of Seattle, Washington, and were not affected by sampling season. Catch information derived from hook timers implies that the sharks locate and encounter baited hooks relatively rapidly (&lt;2 h); diel fishing trials suggest some trend toward lower catch rates at shallower sites during the day. Data collected in this study provide some basic context for informing management decisions associated with a large marine predator in the Puget Sound–Georgia Basin ecosystem and improve our basic understanding of bluntnose sixgill shark biology in the region.

Capture time, size and hooking mortality of bottom longline-caught sharks

The primary gear type used to harvest coastal sharks in the U.S. Atlantic shark fishery is bottom longline. Recent stock assessments have found several species of coastal sharks in U.S. Atlantic Ocean waters have declined from 60% to 80% of virgin levels. To aid in stock rebuilding, alternative gear restriction measures such as reduced soak time, restrictions on the length of gear, and fishing depth restrictions have been considered but not implemented. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of some of these management measures, controlled experiments were performed using hook timers and time depth recorders, assessing the factors affecting mortality during longline capture for the four most abundant species that incurred at-vessel mortality: sandbar ( Carcharhinus plumbeus), blacktip ( Carcharhinus limbatus), bull ( Carcharhinus leucas), and blacknose ( Carcharhinus acronotus). Our results indicate that as hook time and shark size increased mortality rates for the sandbar and blacktip sharks increased. Predicted models indicated mortality rates increased steadily for the three species but appeared to increase the most after 10, 6, and 1 h on the hook for sandbar, blacktip and blacknose shark, respectively. Sandbar sharks larger than approximately 170 cm FL are more susceptible to hooking mortality. Blacknose shark mortality rates increased as hook time increased but bull shark mortality rates were not affected by any factor. The probability of a hook being bitten increased the most between 5 and 12 h after the fishing gear had been set and the mean amount of time hooks were in the water prior to being bitten was 4, 5 and 9 h for sandbar and blacknose sharks, blacktip, and bull sharks, respectively. A significant difference was found between these means for sandbar and bull sharks and between blacknose and bull sharks. Shark species were commonly caught at different temperature and depth ranges. These results could be used by fisheries management to implement restrictions of fishing depth and soak time to aid in the recovery of coastal sharks species.