Use circle hooks to protect marine turtles, says WWF
A circle hook which reduces lethal hooking rates of turtles. Picture courtesy of WWF-US / Jill Hatzai.
Conservation organization WWF has appealed to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to implement long overdue conservation and management measures to protect marine turtles from bycatch in the Coral Triangle region.
Bycatch, or the incidental catch of untargeted species in fishing lines, is one of the most critical problems facing many threatened or endangered marine turtle species in the region today.
“Thousands of marine turtles die every year because they are accidentally hooked by tuna fishing vessels including those that use longlines,” said Keith Symington, WWF Coral Triangle bycatch strategy leader.
“There are many proven solutions to this widely recognized problem. However, these solutions have not been implemented at anywhere near an appropriate level or scale,” added Mr Symington.
One of such solutions include interim measures that require all longline vessels to use large circle hooks—fishing hooks with a unique design that have been scientifically proven to reduce both capture and lethal hooking rates on marine turtles by as much as 80 per cent, compared with traditional longline hooks, without compromising fishing efficiency.
Studies have found circle hooks in the majority of cases may improve the catch rate of tuna. With their proven tendency to hook fish in the mouth rather than deep inside the tuna’s digestive tract, tuna harvested are said to be in better condition for high-quality products such as sashimi.
The WCPFC, a regional fisheries management organization, is now holding its 8th regular session.
Companies pledge support
Several fishing companies and seafood businesses have also pledged their support of wider circle hook use in the larger context of sustainable tuna fisheries management in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, which includes commitments to reduce the catch of juvenile tuna and adopt stronger measures to eliminate illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in the region.
“We see the transition to circle hooks as a win-win for all concerned. It makes perfect sense for us to implement their use in our source fisheries, which is why we are working with WWF in the region to progressively introduce them to fishing communities,” said Steve Fisher, Sea Delight LLC Sustainability Project Coordinator.
Coral Triangle governments come full circle
Coral Triangle governments are likewise making key pledges on circle hook adoption, as demonstrated by the 2010 announcement by the Philippine Government to support circle hook technology.
Circle hook trials and hook exchange programs with WWF and industry partners have been underway in several countries including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has also shown exemplary leadership in investigating circle hooks, adding to the growing body of evidence supporting their use.
Benefits and obstacles to circle hook use
In 2011, WWF released a Circle Hook Policy Brief which describes the evidence in support of circle hook use, their benefits, and obstacles to their implementation, including the lack of regulatory measures.
“All these combined efforts are good but are not yet enough to reach a tipping point for circle hook adoption. Stronger binding regulatory measures are needed,” stressed Symington
This meeting comes at the right time for the WCPFC to consider a proposal called Conservation and Management Measures for Sea Turtles, which evolved from a Compendium of Conservation and Management Measures to address the impacts of species bycatch in tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), developed by a group of NGOs including WWF, Humane Society International (HSI), Sea Turtle Conservancy, and TRAFFIC.
The proposed measures recognize that circle hooks may not be a universal solution and that some longline fleets may able to develop mitigation programs that are precautionary, science based and achieve the same conservation goals. “However, evidence suggests this would be the exception and not the rule. Marine turtle populations are still declining and a steady transition to circle hooks would be a major step in reversing this trend,” noted Symington.