Bottom Longline Observer Program

Observer Safety Training - Chain Swim

From 1994 to 2004, the southeastern United States commercial shark bottom longline fishery was monitored by the University of Florida Commercial Shark Fishery Observer Program. In 2005, the responsibilities of the program were moved to the NOAA Fisheries Service Panama City Laboratory Shark Population Assessment Group in Panama City, FL.

Observer Training - Otoliths and Gonads

Observer Training -

Otoliths and Gonads

The shark bottom longline fishery is active from the mid-Atlantic Bight to south Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Vessels in this fishery are typically fiberglass and average up to 50 feet in length. Longline characteristics vary regionally; however, gear normally consists of about 5-15 miles of longline and 500-1500 hooks. Gear is set at sunset and allowed to soak overnight before hauling back in the morning. The bottom longline gear targets large coastal sharks (e.g., blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus and sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus), but small coastal (e.g., Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), pelagic (e.g., shortfin mako shark Isurus oxyrinchus), and dogfish species (e.g., smooth dogfish Mustelus canis) are also caught. This program is designed to meet the intent of the Endangered Species Act and the Fishery Management Plan for Highly Migratory Species. It was created to obtain better data on catch, bycatch, and discards in the shark bottom longline fishery. Similar to the shark gillnet observer program, all observers are required to attend a 1-week safety training and species identification course prior to being dispatched to the fishery. For historical information regarding this fishery, see The Commercial Shark Fishery Observer Program at the Florida Museum of Natural History.