The Hawaii-based Longline Logbook Summary Report
April - June 2009
This report summarizes data on fish catch and fishing effort by Hawaii-based longline vessels during the second quarter of 2009 (Q2-2009). Results are based on the date gear was hauled, as reported by vessel operators to the National Marine Fisheries Service in Federal logbooks of daily fishing activity. The report covers longline operations for fishing trips completed in the second quarter of 2009 and most, but not all, Q2-2009 data from trips that began late in the second quarter and continued into the third quarter of 2009. Therefore, the Q2-2009 summary statistics reported here are preliminary.
During Q2-2009, 123 vessels were active in the Hawaii-based fleet, the same number of vessels as in Q2-2008 (Table 1, Fig. 1). They made 364 longline trips (34 less than in Q2-2008), including 311 using deep-set gear to target tuna (55 less than in Q2-2008) and 53 using shallow-set gear to target swordfish (11 more than in Q2-2008; Fig. 2). During Q2-2009, the fleet deployed 9.3 million hooks, 900,000 less than in Q2-2008 (Fig. 3). They fished mainly on the high seas outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (77% of the total hooks set), followed by EEZ waters of the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) (11%), the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA, consisting of U.S. possessions Wake Island, Jarvis Island, Howland Island, Baker Island, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Johnston Atoll) (1%), and the EEZ of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) (<1%).
In Q2-2009, the Hawaii longline fleet caught 21,044 bigeye tuna (Fig. 4); 82% were caught in waters outside the U.S. EEZ and 7% in the MHI EEZ. The bigeye tuna catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) on tuna-targeted trips was 2.5 fish per 1000 hooks, well below the Q2-2008 CPUE of 3.6 (Fig. 5). The albacore catch and CPUE on tuna-targeted trips in Q2-2009 were 1,777 fish and 0.21 fish per 1000 hooks, respectively (Figs. 6 - 7). The yellowfin tuna catch and CPUE on tuna-targeted trips in Q2-2009 were 3,305 fish and 0.38 fish per 1000 hooks, respectively (Figs. 8 - 9).
The Q2-2009 swordfish catch was 9,539 fish, 40% higher than in Q2-2008 (Fig. 10). The larger swordfish catch is attributed to more shallow sets made in 2009. In Q2-2009, swordfish CPUE on shallow-set swordfish-targeted trips was 9.9 fish per 1000 hooks, 24% lower than in Q2-2008 (Fig. 11).
The striped marlin catch in Q2-2009 (2,495 fish) was about 50% lower than in Q2-2008, as was the striped marlin CPUE on tuna-targeted trips (0.24 fish per 1000 hooks); the latter was a record low for the second quarter (Figs. 12 - 13). Conversely, the blue marlin catch (1,810 fish) and CPUE on tuna-targeted trips (0.20 fish per 1000 hooks) were higher in Q2-2009 than in Q2-2008 by 14% and 54%, respectively (Figs. 14 - 15).
The fleet caught 17,560 sharks in Q2-2009, of which 533 (3%) were kept. Blue shark comprised 68% of the total shark catch (12,013 fish) (Fig. 16). Blue shark CPUE on shallow-set swordfish-targeted trips was a second quarter record low 3.1 fish per 1000 hooks (Fig. 17).
In Q2-2009, the Hawaii longline catch of other key pelagic species included 6,900 mahimahi (Fig. 18) with a CPUE of 0.63 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 19); a second quarter record high 4,250 moonfish (Fig. 20) with a CPUE of 0.50 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 21); 12,776 pomfret (Fig. 22) with a CPUE of 1.5 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 23); and 3,594 wahoo (Fig. 24) with a CPUE of 0.42 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 25). A high percentage of the catch of these species was kept.
The summary statistics in Table 1 are based on logbook records from all fishing areas combined and all types of longline trips—those targeting swordfish and those aimed at catching tuna. Hence, the CPUE figures in Table 1 differ from those reported above, which were calculated using data exclusively from tuna-targeted trips or swordfish-targeted trips, depending on the species of interest.
The longline logbook statistics reported above refer to all fishing areas combined. Q2-2009 summary catch and effort were also compiled by several geographical sub-areas including: the MHI EEZ; the NWHI EEZ; the PRIA EEZ; the combined EEZ of MHI, NWHI and PRIA; and waters outside the U.S. EEZ. These statistics are presented in Tables 2 - 6. Q2-2009 summary statistics for the entire fishing area are also presented for each distinct trip type: swordfish-targeted trips using shallow-set gear (Table 7) and tuna-targeted trips deploying deep-set gear (Table 8).
This Web site also provides a PDF version of the report [download report], a separate collection of quarterly and yearly charts, and an archive of quarterly and annual summary tables of fish catch and fishing effort from 1991 to the present. The statistics in the online graphs and archived tables are updated periodically as new records are added to the database and corrections are made.