Drift nets must go
The United Nations banned the use of drift gill nets for ocean
pelagics 27 years ago, yet in some fisheries they remain – killing
marlin, turtles, manta rays and marine mammals indiscriminately.
As the IGFA’s Conservation Officer describes, one such fishery
is in the USA.S
wordfish continue to dominate the commercial billfish catch in the world’s oceans,
but unlike most other billfish stocks, swordfish are faring pretty well in most places
in the world. Of the seven international stocks that have been assessed, only the
Mediterranean and South Atlantic stocks are currently in an overfished condition.
However, the way they are being commercially harvested on the west coast of the United States
has recently become a topic of hot debate.
Although globally most swordfish are caught on pelagic longlines, the Californian swordfish
fishery currently employs drift gill nets, most likely an even nastier gear than longlines when it
comes to bycatch. This indiscriminate fishing gear has the ability to entangle and kill virtually
every type of creature that comes into contact with it. Billfish, sharks and marine mammals
are all vulnerable and, what’s worse, if drift gill nets are lost at sea they continue fishing until
they sink or fall apart.
Fortunately, drift gill nets (DGN) are slowly being
phased out around the world. The United Nations
banned the use of large-scale driftnet fisheries in 1991,
with the European Union also banning gill nets of any
size to catch swordfish and other large pelagics. The
bad news is that there are still a few places where they
are being used, and one of these is the west coast of
the United States.
This fishery has been under scrutiny since it began in
the early 1980s due to the high number of sea turtles,
marine mammals and non-target fish that are incidentally caught and killed. At the peak of
the fishery in 1986, there were 251 permitted vessels. Today, it’s less than 20 vessels, with
an additional 50 or so latent permits still in existence. However, the California DGN fishery
continues to kill more dolphins, porpoises and whales than all other fisheries on the US West
Coast and Alaska combined. They also kill their fair share of striped marlin as well, even though
the commercial sale of these fish has been banned in California since 1937. It is difficult to
know just how many marlin are killed by the drift gillnet fishery since the observer coverage
for this fleet has been only around 12 percent in recent years.
This is an unfortunate situation whereby a commercial industry is targeting a species that
is currently well managed (swordfish is neither overfished or experiencing overfishing), but is
using a ‘dirty’ gear that incurs high bycatch levels. It doesn’t need to be this way as there is a
better alternative to drift gill nets for the west coast swordfish fishery.
For the past six years, researchers with the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research
have been conducting studies on a west coast-specific deep-set buoy gear configuration. With
deep-set buoy gear, fishermen drop baited hooks hundreds of metres below the ocean surface,
well below the thermocline, targeting swordfish where they normally feed during daylight
hours. This minimises the likelihood of accidental catch of striped marlin and other marine
life. Research indicates that roughly 94% of catch associated with buoy gear is marketable,
compared to only 35% of that associated with gill nets. Buoy gear also yields a higher quality
product because the swordfish are landed and iced quickly after being caught – a definite win-
win for commercial anglers and marine animals alike.
The IGFA, Wild Oceans, CCA California and the American Sportfishing Association are calling
on the Pacific Fishery Management Council to phase out drift gillnets and authorise the use
of deep-set buoy gear. However, even though this gear is very promising in its ability to
target swordfish and minimise bycatch, as in any new fishery, care must be taken in how it is
implemented. Unlike drift gillnets, this new gear will be deployed during the daytime and in
areas where recreational anglers fish for popular pelagic species.
The IGFA and its other recreational partners are therefore urging the Pacific Fishery
Management Council to authorise this new fishery on a limited-entry basis. Doing so will not
only help prevent potential gear conflict between recreational and commercial anglers, but also
help ensure the long-term stability of the California commercial swordfish market.“There is a better
alternative to drift gill
nets for the west coast
swordfish fishery.”
THE IGFA
JASON SCHRATWIESER
serves as the International
Game Fish Association’s
Conservation Director, a
position he has held since
2003. He also runs the IGFA’s
Great Marlin Race (IGMR)
program and was integral in
having the Billfish Conservation
Act (BCA) passed by the US
Government in 2012. Jason is
an avid angler and has been
working on fisheries policy
and management issues for
the last 18 years.
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