Definition of Long Line in Fishing

Long line fishing is a method of commercial fishing used to catch many popular food fish species. Although it provides fish to many of the world's fish markets, the practice has come under fire because it also kills many non-target species. Fishermen and fishing industries have taken steps to reduce by-catch, such as improved fishing practices and outright bans on long line fishing.

  1. What Is It?

    • Long lines consist of a long central line that may stretch from a mile up to 100 miles long. Coming off the central line are numerous short baited lines at evenly spaced distances called "snoods." A long line may consist of thousands of snoods. Long lines are either fished near the surface with floats or sunk to the bottom with weights, depending on the targeted fish species and their typical location.

    Targeted Fish Species

    • Long lines are set for a variety of fish including tuna, swordfish, cod, sharks and halibut.

    Controversy

    • Long line fishing is a controversial topic because of by-catch. Long lines don't just catch their intended quarry. They also catch turtles, aquatic birds, marine mammals, as well as target species that are too small to be commercially valuable. Most of these non-target species die and are wasted. Because of this, long line fishing has been banned in some areas.

    Solutions to Reduce By-Catch

    • Long line fishermen and hook companies have tried to come up with solutions to help reduce by-catch. Using hooks of a certain size prevents undersized, unmarketable fish of the target species being caught prematurely. A product called Blubait dies the baitfish blue, which sea birds are not attracted to. Another solution involves dropping lines through a well in the ship directly into the water, so birds never have a chance to catch bait on the surface before it sinks.

      The use of circle hooks has reduced sea turtle catch. These specially shaped hooks, as their name suggests, form a near circle, which makes it difficult to swallow the hook. Most species that eat bait with a circle hook -- including the targeted species -- do not swallow the circle hook, but rather, are hooked in the corner of the mouth, where they can be successfully released if needed.