The Hawaii-based Longline Logbook Summary Report
July - September 2011
This report summarizes data on fish catch and fishing effort by Hawaii-based longline vessels during the third quarter of 2011 (Q3-2011). 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 third quarter of 2011 and most, but not all, Q3-2011 data from trips that began late in the third quarter and continued into the fourth quarter of 2011. Therefore, the Q3-2011 summary statistics reported here are preliminary.
During Q3-2011, 116 vessels were active in the Hawaii-based fleet, one less vessel than in Q3-2010 (Table 1, Fig. 1). They made 351 longline trips (34 less than in Q3-2010), including 348 using deep-set gear to target tuna (28 less in Q3-2010) and 3 using shallow-set gear to target swordfish (6 less than in Q3-2010; Fig. 2). During Q3-2011, the fleet deployed 9.9 million hooks, 350,000 less than in Q3-2010 (Fig. 3). They fished mainly on the high seas outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (88% of the total hooks set), followed by the EEZ of the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) (10%), the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) EEZ (2%), and the EEZ of 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%).
In Q3-2011, the Hawaii longline fleet caught 32,882 bigeye tuna (Fig. 4); 88% were caught in waters outside the U.S. EEZ. The bigeye tuna catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) on tuna-targeted trips was 3.3 fish per 1000 hooks, the same as in Q3-2010 (Fig. 5). The albacore catch and CPUE on tuna-targeted trips in Q3-2011 were 8,867 fish and 0.90 fish per 1000 hooks, respectively (Figs. 6 - 7). The yellowfin tuna catch and CPUE on tuna-targeted trips in Q3-2011 were 4,363 fish and 0.44 fish per 1000 hooks, respectively (Figs. 8 - 9).
The Q3-2011 swordfish catch was 1,261 fish, 20% lower than the swordfish catch in Q3-2010 (Fig. 10). In Q3-2011, swordfish CPUE on shallow-set swordfish-targeted trips was 10.3 fish per 1000 hooks, 29% higher than in Q3-2010 (Fig. 11).
The striped marlin catch in Q3-2011 was 859 fish, and the CPUE on tuna-targeted trips was 0.08 fish per 1000 hooks; these figures represent decreases of 16% and 20% in the catch and CPUE, respectively, compared to Q3-2010 (Figs. 12 - 13). The blue marlin catch in Q3-2011 was 796 fish with a CPUE of 0.08 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Figs. 14 - 15).
The fleet caught 12,293 sharks in Q3-2011, of which 194 (2%) were kept. Blue shark comprised 91% of the total shark catch (11,170 fish) (Fig. 16). Blue shark CPUE on shallow-set swordfish-targeted trips in Q3-2011 was 5.8 fish per 1000 hooks, 50% lower than in Q3-2010 (Fig. 17).
In Q3-2011, the Hawaii longline catch of other key pelagic species included 17,873 mahimahi (Fig. 18) with a CPUE of 1.8 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 19); 8,632 moonfish (Fig. 20) with a CPUE of 0.87 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 21); 5,629 pomfret (Fig. 22) with a CPUE of 0.57 fish per 1000 hooks on tuna-targeted trips (Fig. 23); and 1,865 wahoo (Fig. 24) with a CPUE of 0.19 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. Q3-2011 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. Q3-2011 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 website 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.
