Longline Fishing (Fishing News Books)

Longlining is becoming increasingly more important as a method of fishing commercially for certain prime species of fish-- particulary in the face of declining stocks. Longlining is much more selective that any other form of fishing and is thus more environmentally acceptable. Furthermore, longlining allows for the targeting of particular prime species and fish caught by this method are less damaged and thus hold a higher value. Despite the many major benefits of longlining, there are, as yet few books which address the technical and economic aspects of this method of commercial fishing. Written by an expert, this new book describes the principles and development of longlining fishing and explains the action of chemical sensing in fish and their behaviour towards baited hooks. Details of gear construction, the operation cycle for longlines, longline vessels and the different principles of mechanised baiting and on--board gear handling are provided and typical examples are given. The target species, gear parameters and catching efficiency, and the selective properties of longline gear are fully discussed whilst a concluding chapter compares longlining with other fishing methods.

Despite the fact hat longline fishing is a traditional and widespread fish capture method, few books describe in detail the principles and applications of longline fishing gear.

Longlinning has been written to provide all the information needed on the many different aspects of longline fishing. It deals the history of the technique, the basic capture principles and how they relate to fish behaviour, important target species, and provides technical descriptions of gear, vessels ad equipment and the different modes of operating longlines. A comparison with other methods of fishing is also included.

The book will prove of great interest to wide readership, ranging from professional longline fishermen to fisheries managers and students.