Effects of setting time, setting direction and soak time on longline catch rates
Working paper
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http://hdl.handle.net/11250/105540Utgivelsesdato
1996Metadata
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This report is not to be cited without prior reference to the authorsSammendrag
Most studies of factors affecting catching efficiency and selectivity in longlining have focused
on various gear parameters (mainline and snood material, hook design and size, rigging) and
on the bait (type and size), and few studies have investigated how catch rates are affected by
the way the gear is operated during fishing. We carried out fishing experiments to study the
effects of setting time, setting direction (relative to the current direction) and soak time on
catch rates of cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). Lines set
before dawn and lines set across the current gave higher catch rates of haddock than lines set
after dawn and in the same direction as the current, respectively. Similar effects were not
found for cod, and these differences between haddock and cod were explained by differences
in behaviour and interspecific competition for the available baits. Soak time was not found to
significantly affect the catch rates of either species, indicating that other factors have a more
pronounced effect on longline catch rates and may therefore mask the effect of soak time.