Longlining Research Paper

Industrial fishing is the act of catching fish for a commercial profit. The fishing industry can be divided into sub groups of the different methods of fishing such as longlining, bottom trawling, dredging, and gillnetting. The list goes on as for the methods of fishing, but these are the main tactics. Longlining is a serious operation that is one of the top methods of industrial fishing. Known as “The Curtain of Death,” longlining consists of a main line that can run all the way up to fifty miles long that includes branch lines up to 1200 feet. The target species of longlining are pelagic species, such as tuna and swordfish. This method of fishing is practiced universally and at the end of each year, over ten billion hooks have been set

Longlining has many flaws that must be fixed in order to promote a healthier practice of fishing. The most damage of longlining is being done to the non-target species such as sea turtles, birds, dolphins, whales, and any of the other fish that happen to end up in the spread of a fifty mile longline. Studies have shown that the top predator fish in an ecosystem has decreased by over 90% in the past fifty years due to longline. A prime example of the negative effect that longlining has put on fish, is the average size decrease of the swordfish over the past 100 years. At 1900, the average swordfish weighed in at about 300-400 pounds. By 1963, the average sword was 266 pounds. And by 1996, the average sword was at an all time low of 90 pounds. After 100 years of longlining, the average swordfish catch is a juvenile fish, over 200 pounds lighter than before longlining began. These are typical symptoms of industrial fishing and it will continue to get worse if a positive change is not made. The spotlight in the legal case against longlining is one of the many victims of longlining, the great leatherback turtle. This turtle is very different than the average turtle. The leatherback turtle grows up to nine feet and can reach weights of over 2000 pounds. Mexiquillo, an extremely important leatherback

A surprising finding in the fishing industry is that economic studies have shown most of the time, longlining results in a marginal commercial enterprise at most. On average, longliners of the Atlantic lose over $7000 annually, and also have to battle the depreciation of their vessel. Every single year, longliners are forced to pay off the extravagant mortgages on their vessel, which forces them to continue to fish, in hope of a great catch. The industry of fishing has been criticized by many in the scientific and conservation field, but it creates many jobs and opportunities for people who are on their last leg, the opportunity to make money and support themself and or their