Report of Churchill Fellowship

visit to the United states of America

Manual and Automatic longline technique –

applicability to Small Boat fisheries.

Report to the The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust by:

John Smythe 1999 Churchill Fellow

4 Newmarket St

Beaconsfield WA 6163

Australia (08) 9335 4624 0410511842

Contents

INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................5 1. OBSERVATIONS...................................................................................................6 2. MANUAL LONGLINE FISHING IN THE USA..........................................................9 3. AN EVALUATION OF AUTOMATIC LONGLINING...............................................14 4. OBSERVATIONS ON SHARK FISHING MANAGEMENT OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST

OF THE USA......................................................................................................29 5. OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY SEAFOOD LABORATORY .....................................33 6. CRYOGENIC CONTAINERS .................................................................................34 7. SUPERCHILLING OF FISH ...................................................................................35 8. THE INTERNET AND FISHING INDUSTRY............................................................37 9. NOTES ON HANDLING LIVE FISH FROM SMALL BOATS ON THE OREGON COAST..38 10. FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATIONS, FUNDING AND GREEN GROUPS IN THE USA.....40

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Introduction In October and November of 1999 I travelled in the USA as the beneficiary of a Churchill Fellowship. The purpose of the visit was to study automatic long lining and other matters relating to the commercial fishing industry.

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Acknowledgements I wish to thank The Churchill Fellowship Association Of W.A. and the W.A. Department of Fisheries, which was a co-sponsor of my fellowship for their faith both moral and financial. The referees for my application Brett McCallum West Australian Fishing Industry Council Peter Millington Department of Fisheries W.A. Theo Kailis A. J. Langford The fishermen, gear manufacturers, researchers, administrators and people of support industries who gave freely of their time and knowledge.

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Executive Summary I travelled to the USA to study automated long-lining; the mechanisation of the ancient fishing technique. Traditional long lining attributes of low environmental impact and premium quality product are counterbalanced by being labour intensive and tedious. Modern machinery overcomes the downside but at a price that is prohibitive for small boats. In W.A. the fishery management regime is not conducive to making the large capital outlay, but this prudence has left a sustainable resource. These conflicting parameters define my approach to the issue. While studying automated long lining I learnt a lot more about the traditional manual technique, which is more sophisticated in the USA. This information is included and the totality offers a lot of opportunity for fishermen to improve their efficiency within the traditional long line technique and for those prepared to take the plunge, a guide to the machinery as seen through fishermen’s eyes Conclusion. The top range technology works well but what has been generally promoted as the lower cost option for small boats has limitations in the effectiveness of the baiting machines available and the hook patterns that work with them. Very careful judgement is required. Other areas I looked at were fish handling, management and research, marketing and fishermen’s organizations. Conclusions a…..There is a huge amount of knowledge out there and you have to go and look for it. Because Australia is so isolated we miss out on developments that industry people in other countries can learn about because it happens in front of them. When I visited the Oregon State University Seafood Laboratory in Astoria Oregon I was made aware of the concepts of superchilling, cryogenic containers, conservation groups working with the fishing industry and the large body of work done by this well funded institution. There must be thousands of such institutions around the world and the collating of data from them is being missed by a majority of fishermen and small processors and retailers. b…..From what I saw and from what I have read WA is a world leader in fisheries research and management. The comparatively co-operative approach in WA has led to far better “sustainability”, “economic” and “security of access” outcomes than in the USA. We are in the position of having dealt with most of the “big picture” issues and now it’s attention to detail that matters. Overseas study offers so much opportunity in this area. .

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1. Observations My recent travel in the USA gave me an opportunity to see the fishing industry through the eyes of a tourist as opposed to being an active participant. I feel it reasonable to draw some comparisons with Australia. Fishing boat harbours are a massive tourist drawcard. Any coastal town that can muster a tourist bureau uses its fishing boat harbour as an attraction, calling on boats, history, romance, adventure, fresh seafood and restaurants as part of the appeal. San Francisco’s tourist literature calls Fisherman’s Wharf its “number one tourist attraction”. The turnover of tourists is massive. Clam chowder and crabs magically appear alongside hundreds of tourist shops. Yet it took me two visits to find the small fleet of commercial boats tucked away out of sight and out of mind. Seattle heavily promotes the supply of fresh fish at “Pike Place Markets”, fresh and smoked salmon, crabs and general seafood can be bought, consumed or airfreighted to any destination in the USA in 24 hours. The huge fleet of boats 20 minutes away at Fisherman’s Harbour is gazed at with little understanding while bronze status and plaques highlight bearded fisherman of the past and the historical development of the fisheries. If you go to Madeira beach in Florida and tell people you have come to look at their fishing industry, they will tell you to try the local grouper and to stay clear of the fisherman because most of them are on drugs and in and out of jail. Gloucester Massachusetts is haunted by derelict wharves and fish houses and the death of the Atlantic Cod fishery. The media coverage of government buy-backs of fishing boats and destitute fisherman has left an image of a dying industry looking backwards. The memorial to fisherman’s wives waiting for their husbands to return from sea and the honour roll of those who died at sea perpetuates this gloom. In the USA and in Australia no matter if the story is gloom or sunshine the commercial fishing industry is a massive tourist attraction; yet as an industry we get minimal recognition for our achievements. In Fremantle millions of dollars are spent in the tourist business’s and people “just love Freo and the fishing boat harbour” yet one negative letter to the editor and we are on the back foot. In the USA and in WA there is no plan for the fishing industry to interact with and educate the public and unless we take this step we will always be at a disadvantage when responding to lies, misconceptions and sensationalist journalism. This interaction with the public is crucial to our survival. With heightened public awareness of conservation issues and an ever expanding recreational sector “perception’’ is in some cases more important then reality, an example of this is the problems faced by the estuarine fishermen where perception issues have led to restrictions and closures not aimed at biological sustainability. Those fishermen forced out of their businesses are a warning to the rest of us.

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A major problem we face in this perception issue is the dichotomous view the public has of us. Museums and memorials highlight the noble past with horny handed pioneers decked out in oilskins and full beards battling nature to provide a basic living for their families before they die heroically at sea. This view of the past seems to be well received but unfortunately the present perception is strongly influenced by groups like GREENPEACE, which has run high profile campaigns on issues like -whaling -drift-netting -dolphin kills in tuna purse-seine nets -sea bird mortality on tuna long lines -over fishing of southern blue-fin tuna As a consequence we are open to portrayal as “arse out of the pants” rednecks or “rapacious rednecks”. One of the reasons such narrow perceptions can exist is the fact that many people perceive the industry as the catching sector only. There is little understanding of the degree of independent research and co-operative management, which are heavily interdependent. No one of these three branches can be top class without the other. A profile of the industry would include -catching sector -aquaculture -research -management -processing -marketing -boat building -gear manufacturing -training -ancillary industries Very few people outside of the industry and some inside understand the depth complexity and interdependence. The fact is our industry is readily hijacked for tourism promotion;. yet the local councils and businesses that profit from our activities mostly have little understanding of the incredible success story of the WA industry. This situation is our responsibility to rectify. To address this issue on a grand scale would be to develop an institution along the lines of a “Fisheries Hall Of Fame”. Such an institution could showcase the total industry and particularly highlight the worlds’ best research and management practises found here in WA. “Imagine a theatre that took people onboard a lobster boat and explained the boat and gear to them, then took them to sea and let them feel the industry. Mixed in with this would come the explanation of pot restriction, season closures, size limits and log book requirements. And then for a burst of pure exhilaration, ten minutes on a jet boat working the breakers at the Abhrolos Islands”. .

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The possibilities are huge and the potential as a tourist facility, an educational showcase, a resources centre and a promotional vehicle for the total industry is also huge. On a more modest scale the moving of WA Fisheries Research Facility to a new home at the Hillarys Marina offers a great opportunity to develop a public display highlighting WA Fisheries research and management. This area is a major tourism precinct and a well planned venue would become a “must see” experience. The already established Underwater World can only multiply the effectiveness of the location. On a regional basis every fishing port on the coast has the potential to develop a display explaining the boats and fisheries present I have stood on wharves myself gazing longingly at fishing boats, wanting to know about them; and every year thousands of people in WA and millions across the world repeat this experience, romanced by the magic of the fishing industry. This is a gift that we need to capitalise on.

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2. Manual Longline Fishing in the USA During an investigative visit to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the USA a variety of longline operations and handling techniques were observed. Operation procedures reflected licence constraints. However, for the purpose of this paper initial consideration will be on basis of ‘hook’ attachment to the main line, ie, fixed snoods or clipped gear. On-board handling will vary from an historical viewpoint or the fishery being exploited.

Fixed Snoods. One of the oldest methods of handling long line in the USA is by the use of “skates” A skate of long line is a square of canvas laid on the deck of a boat. The long line was originally pulled by hand on to this square of canvas. As the mainline is flaked on to it the hooks are allowed to find their own position. With the introduction of winches the same procedure was followed. Baiting entails manually pulling the line from one skate to another. The gear is hand flaked on to the new skate whilst hooks are baited and maintenance takes place. Baited hooks are laid on top of the mainline and when completed the corners of the canvas are folded in and tied Shooting away is done over a frame which directs the mainline straight upwards and over the transom (fig. 1).

Fig. 1 Setting the longline. A stern mounted A-frame delivers the baited line contained in a series of tubs employed for easy storage. In this case the operator hangs the baited hooks on the edge of the tubs.

The hook spacing for these traditional US long lines tended to be very close by Australian standards, four feet apart and with short snoods, 8 to12 inches. The most

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obvious question about tangles is met with the reply that if you know what your doing it is not a problem. Using this arrangement the gear can be shot away very fast (8 knots) and an extremely large number of hooks can be used, even by Australian standards. As one fisherman explained it to me “you just get the gear up; damaged hooks, tangles and whatever you ignore, get the gear onboard as quick as you can and let the crew sort out any problems when they bait up”. Later tubs were introduced to hold the long line (tub trawl). In a tub when hauling, the hooks are allowed to flake down amongst the mainline as in a skate. When baiting hooks are either flaked down amongst the mainline or hooked on the side of the tub (fig. 1).

Fig. 2 Secured Tub Hooks In this set up the mainline and hooks are flaked straight into the tub from the winch. A crew member then transfers back to another tub, straightening and replacing hooks and stacking them in the simple rack at the end of the tub ready to be shot away through the snag baiter. On the Atlantic coast a standard oblong plastic fish bin is used with the long line transferred from one bin to another when baiting. In this case the baited hooks are laid across one end of the bin and when a row is completed a piece of grease proof paper is laid across the hooks and the next row of baited hooks is laid on top and so on. In some ports on the Atlantic coast “bait-houses” will bait the gear for a price. This allows a “day-boat” with two sets of gear to work very large amounts of gear with minimal crew. The advent of tuna circle hooks which lip hook a fish led to the development of a piece of machinery called a “crucifyer” which helps boats to “rip” their gear up. The mainline snood and hooks are pulled between two close set rollers that will allow the hook through but not a fish (fig. 3).

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Catch falls into ‘hold’ or tubs. Haul direction

Wings guide line through rollers

Close spaced rollers

Fig. 3 Crucifier The line and hook pass through two closely spaced rollers, where the hook is torn from the fishes mouth, which falls into the hold or a container.

Another simple piece of machinery is a hook cleaner. In its simplest form it is simply two brushes bolted together with the bristles touching (Fig. 4). The mainline and hooks pass through the brushes after any fish are removed by the crucifyer. The stiff bristles of the brushes remove any old bait.

Haul direction

V – wings to guide ro guide line and hooks into scrubber

Two sets of scrubbing brushes - opposed

Fig. 4 Hook Cleaner Located after the ‘crucifier’ where the hook is removed of all extraneous material, bait, weed.

Using this gear with high crew numbers allowed boats to use amazing amounts of gear. Traditional North Pacific Long liners in the 65 foot range expect to work 15 to

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18,000 hooks in an 18 to 20 hour day with a skipper and 5 crew. The skipper drives and there is one man at the rail gaffing, the crucifyer removes fish and the hook cleaner removes old bait. The winch hauls the gear and flakes it hooks and all into skates or tubs. Two men are cleaning and icing while two are going flat out baiting. Tasks are rotated so as to keep the baiters “fresh”. There are several reasons for this intense level of activity. Very high catch rates and bad weather encouraged fishermen to get “stuck into it” as well as intense competition in fisheries where very short ‘open” periods often mean fishermen have a few days per month or year in which to make their money.

Clip gear I talked with fishermen using clip gear in Florida and Massachusetts and found the style of gear was similar to what is used in Australia. In Massachusetts day-boat fisherman talked about fishing 1000 hooks on a 2 man boat once a day which is a rate comparable to Australian standards. In the past a similar boat may have fished 3 crew and used a bait-house to bait 4,000 hooks, but the introduction of trip limits on the amount of fish allowed to be landed and, a limited number of days per week allowed to be worked had concentrated attention on minimising costs, and clip gear with its ability to squeeze the hooks close together when running over a piece of good ground thus minimising bait cost was the preferred option. In Florida I talked to fishermen who long line for shark and grouper using clip gear with either nylon monofilament or wire mainline. The nylon monofilament was run off and retrieved by a hydraulically driven spool using standard clips and the technology is freely available and understood in Australia. The wire consists of 3/16th galvanised or stainless, stored and retrieved on a hydraulically driven reel. The wire is primarily used because of the strong currents caused by the Gulf Stream and mainly when targeting grouper. The wire gets to the bottom quicker then monofilament and is more likely to settle on the targeted bottom. The strong currents tend to rap the monofilament around snags causing a lot of break-offs. It was generally believed that the wire didn’t snag as often as mono and usually it could be worked off a snag. The amount of gear worked by Florida fishermen was fairly high. One informant spoke of setting 1,000 hooks to 4 miles of gear 4 times a day and keeping it up for a 10 day trip. I was told of boats working 5 or 6 crew and working their gear around the clock with the crew rotating between on and off deck; and working up to 10,000 hooks a day. Probably my best informant was a biologist who spent a large amount of time on the boats recording catch and effort data. He laughed at these figures and was of the opinion that you could take 25% off them immediately, especially for the boats that didn’t carry enough crew to rest some of them while the deck was still working. My biologist informant believed that 2 and 3 man boats started out with a flurry of activity but after the first couple of days they settled down to a more sustainable pace. The most noticeable difference in manual long lining between Australia and the USA was in the use of gear with fixed snoods. In the USA hook spacings are much closer together reflecting the high catch rates traditionally found in their fisheries and the

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fact that they have developed techniques for working this gear allows them to work huge numbers of hooks compared to Australia. Some of the Australian tropical scale fish and shark fisheries and the deepwater scale fish fisheries seem to be candidates for this style of long lining.

Attitude to Hooks and Mainline When it comes to preferred hook patterns in the USA the tuna circle is king. There was an overwhelming consensus that its holding power on scalefish far exceeds the two other types. The ezy-baiter and the J hook. This attitude is highlighted with respect to baiting machines. If a baiting machine cannot bait a tuna circle hook then its not worth putting it on the boat. It is better to pay for extra crew to bait, where the extra catch exceeds the cost of the additional crew. There are exceptions of course and the shark fishery of Florida seems to be it. I talked to one fisherman who preferred the ezy-baiter hooks because of their ease in manual baiting compared to circle hook baiting and he considered they caught very well. I also saw other boats that had J hooks rigged for shark fishing. One argument was that in the ‘in shore’ shark fishery where there is restrictions on the landings of groupers it was better to use J hooks which still work well on sharks, but do not catch the same number of grouper a tuna circle hook would. The attitude to shark fishing in Florida was interesting – fishermen have stopped using wire snoods. The reason is that the two dissimilar materials produce an electric current (electrolysis) and it discourages the sharks. The opinion was that you got more bite-offs without wire but you catch more fish. The use of tuna circle or ezy baiter hooks which tend to lip – hook fish results in less bite-offs. I saw plenty of boats rigged with mono leaders and tuna circle hooks. I also saw some with mono – J hook combinations. These boats were rigged for large pelagic sharks. In this area a lot of boats use a wire mailine, 3/16” galvanized or stainless to fish for grouper, however very few use it for shark fishing because of the electrolysis factor. I was told it was not uncommon for boats participating in both fisheries to have two sets of gear. As stated earlier, wire is excellent for strong current and deep water. Another difference I saw was the use of braided rope mainline. The argument being it has greater strength and smaller diameter compared to a three strand rope, which means it is less effected by currents. Also occupying less volume in containers was a further consideration. Another advantage of the braided mainline was its reluctance to twist like stranded rope and foul the snoods. The modern three-way swivel also appears to negate the effect of mainline twisting and has a greater holding capacity than its counterparts. Fishermen indicated that fixed snoods allowed fish to twist the snood about the mainline until the hook is hard against it and then works against this fixed point enabling them to release themselves. An ex crewman of an Alaskan longliner spoke of a 22% higher retention rate in favour of the three way swivel.

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3. An Evaluation of Automatic Longlining FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A SMALL BOAT (12 - 20 m.) operators

Introduction If you wish to set up a boat to work long line with equipment that will remove the fish, clean old bait from the hooks, untwist snoods, feed the hooks on to racks and then bait the hooks; provided you have the money, it can be done. If you are a small boat operator in Australia where catch rates for fish are generally far lower then in the northern hemisphere countries where this equipment is manufactured, you have to evaluate the claims of advertised material and the cost and effectiveness of this machinery very carefully.

From my observations and conversations with fishermen in the USA and New Zealand there is strong support for the top of the range equipment. It works and it works well. If you wish to buy the best USA equipment the cost is up to $AU200,000. European equipment can be bought for around $AU75,000/$AU85,000. The longline cost is additional to the above.

From my experience of fishing in Western Australia this cost is impossible for small boats. If you are prepared to look at the less sophisticated equipment or consider partial mechanization and/or shop in the second hand market then there is an opportunity to get into auto long lining but with an increased risk of a system that doesn’t work. To go down this path value-judgements have to be made and this article approaches the subject from this perspective.

Machinery For a fully automated system – six – operations are employed involving five or six sets of machinery:

• Crucifier • Bait stripper • Combi-hauler or two separate units – hauler and unwinder • Storage magazine • Baiter.

Fig. 1 Basic auto long line layout. Detailed analysis is noted in Appen.1. Another piece of equipment is required for bringing the line on board, a bulwark or side roller.

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NOTE Agents and manufacturers much prefer to quote on a complete system, which works out significantly cheaper then buying the items separately. None of them wanted their prices quoted by a third party. Also I got a strong impression that these prices are highly negotiable. Thus any prices quoted are best seen as an indication.

Fig. 2.1 Hauling operation machinery, crucifier, bait stripper

and combi-hauler and storage magazine.

Fig. 2.2 Baiting operation

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Bulwark or Side Roller A long line needs some sort of guide or roller where it passes over the side of the boat. If you buy one from an auto long line manufacturer it will cost over $1,000.00. These or similar devices are already common and this is an area where money can be saved.

Fig. 3 Crucifier The line and hook pass through two closely spaced rollers, where the hook is torn from the fishes mouth, which falls into the hold or a container.

Catch falls into ‘hold’ or tubs.

Haul direction

Wings guide line through rollers

Close spaced rollers

The most basic improvement on traditional long lining was the addition of a crucifier to remove fish from fixed snood longline. Simply the line is pulled through a pair of rollers so close together that the mainline, snood and hook pass thorough but fish cannot. With the use of circle hooks, which only lip hook fish, they are easily torn from the fish’s mouth. They are very simple and can be easily home built.

longline

Haul direction

V – wings to guide ro guide line and hooks into scrubber

Two sets of scrubbing brushes - opposed

Fig. 4 BAIT STRIPPER Located after the ‘crucifier’ where the hook is removed of all extraneous material, bait, weed.

The next addition is a bait stripper. The simplest was a set of scrubbing brushes clamped bristles together through which the mainline and hooks pass. The bristles strip old bait from the hooks. Commercial models include jets of water. I think if you were going to invest in a hauler hook racking machine you would have to be shore

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your home made model worked well otherwise the hook racking machine would not work every time a baited hook came through.

Combi-Hauler The winch that hauls the long line is now capable of guiding the hooks on to racks which hold the hooks with long line attached ready for maintenance and or to be shot away.

LONGLINE TO BAITING MACHINE

LONGLINE FROM ‘BAIT STRIPPER’

Fig. 5 Combi-hauler

Fig. 5.1 Hook Rack. Cross-section to indicate hook placement.

These haulers are available in varying sophistication. The top models combine the crucifyer, a bait stripper, snood unwinder, line hauling and guiding the hooks on to racks. If you eliminate the need for the crucifyer bait stripper and snood unwinder the complexity and cost of the machine will come down. Some of these machines will not handle circle hooks, only J and easy-baiter hooks. To buy a brand new hauler/unwinder in Seattle is over $ US20,000. This price from a small boat perspective is huge, though not necessarily the end of the story. If you hunt around Seattle, there is quite a bit of second hand machinery available. This machinery tends to be very robust and is a good proposition for second hand purchase.

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The original North American version of a “hauler” and “snood unwinder” came as two units available together or separately. For a small boat operator this gives the option of buying the “hauler” separately on the second hand market. The traditional American longline did not use 3 way swivels and these unwinders are designed to untwist the inevitable snood that is wrapped round and round the mainline. According to fishermen to whom I spoke, 3 way swivels cure most of this problem . One of the views expressed to me was that the 3 way swivels (fig.6) make for a significantly increased catch rate (22% is one figure quoted) because fish can no longer wind the snood up tight around the mainline and then work against a firm hook and get off. . Mustad, the European manufacturer of longline gear claims that if its 3 way swivels are being used, a “twist remover” is hardly necessary. Marco Marine of Seattle used to build a “hauler-undwinder” for use with easy-baiter and J hooks and a Marcomatic Baiter which will bait these hooks with near 100% precision, but because of the strong USA preference for circle hooks they stopped manufacturing these machines. There is a very high probability that one of these systems could be bought very cheap on the second hand market. National Fisherman is an obvious place to run an add as well as the other magazines which target the west coast fishermen.

SNOOD ROTATES ABOUT ITS AXIS

SNOOD ROTATES ABOUT THE LONGLINE

Fig. 6. THREE-WAY SWIVEL Mustad the European manufacturer of auto long line machinery is still active in the market for easy-baiter long line fishing systems. Other countries don’t seem to have the same aversion to easy-baiter hooks that the USA fishermen have. One of the prime considerations in buying this gear is cost and at the moment the Europeans are

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cheaper. The other tell;ing advantage is proximity. Mustad has an agent distributor based in New Zealand and their gear in use on boats there. I was given an approximate price on a brand new hauler-hook-racker called a “sjark” of $AU30,000.oo. This price was depended on exchange rate variations plus what other gear you are buying etc. There is a second hand market for this gear and I had an estimate of a second hand “sjark” that had been overhauled for $8,000.00Aus. The .hook wracks suitable for J and easy-baiter hooks can be picked up second hand, when available, for around $AU600.oo for a three metre section capable of holding 1,200 size 12/0 or13/0 hooks. .

The”sjark” will not handle circle hooks and a more expensive machine “Combi-Hauler” is required. I had an asking price on a second hand unit of $AU12,000.00.

BAIT CUTTER For over $1,000.00 you can buy an electric or hydraulic powered bait cutter, I’ve seen home made models powered by hand, costing around $100.00 that worked well.

Fig. 7. Bait Cutter Whole bait (fish) are segmented to desired size as determined by blade spacing.

Hand or mechanical

Blade spacing = bait size

Stock

Cut Bait

BAITING MACHINES One of the great breakthroughs in longline productivity of the last 20 years has been mechanised baiting of hooks. In the USA, it is found in three forms, snag or random baiters, precision baiter and full circle hook baiter. A snag baiter relies on dragging J hooks or ezybaiter hooks through a tub of bait and water. Baits are snagged by the hooks and it relies on pulling the hook through a set of brushes to drive the point through the bait.

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Brush

Bath level

Bath solution of water and bait

Perspex wall for viewing

Direction of longline through bait bath

Fig. 8. Snag baiter. Appendix 2 shows this USA example. I would like to make the point that before going to the USA, I saw manufacturer’s videos of this process. Hook after hook went off the back of the boat immaculately baited. This type of machine is barely used in the USA. There are two main arguments for this. 1 The baiting rate is nowhere near high enough to justify their use. 2 Because they cannot be used with circle hooks, the catch rate is too low. The cost

of crew baiting hooks is cheaper than the fish lost from not using circle hooks. I heard contradictory evaluations of their effectiveness from a baiting rate of 60% (detraction) to 120% (enthusiasm). The 120% comes from some hooks going off with up to 2 or 3 baits on them. The people who liked them made the point that you have certain requirements: * Good bait; squid was considered perfect but quality fresh fish with a tough skin

will do the job. Frozen bait must be in excellent condition. If it is a soft fleshed fish, it won’t work.

* The snag baiter must be a good model. Once the idea became known various engineering shops built them on order with various degrees of success.

* The correct mixture of bait and water is crucial. A constant feed of water was

considered necessary; apparently a lot of models weren’t built with this provision. * Big enough. A larger bait hopper allowed for greater room for error. Once you got

the bait to water mix correct, a greater number of hooks could pass through before proportions were changed enough to reduce efficiency.

* Good operator. Some people never get the “hang” of it, others do so almost immediately.

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* Allow time to learn how to use it. Basically allow 5 or 6 days then if it is not working well, “either your hopeless or the machine is”.

I only came across one fisherman with one permanently on his boat though I was told of others There were plenty sitting in sheds around the place and I noticed the one full

time working model was home built and big. It would hold at least 20kg of chopped bait.

The more professionally built models had much smaller capacity around 5kg. This home built model certainly fitted the description of big enougth and as the owner said once you got the bait to water ratio right it was much easier to maintain it. .

Despite some adherent they are barely used. One fisherman in Oregon who had a fully automated set up for a 50 foot boat using a snag baiter, was happy with the baiting effectiveness of the snag baiter but took it off. His criticism was that the ezy baiter hooks just do not have the holding power of circle hooks. In his fishery for rockfish, it paid to soak hooks for as long as possible and under these conditions the full circle hooks far out fished the ezy baiter. It was better to do the extra work (pay the extra crew) and still make more money. This fisherman’s set up pulled the mainline, unhooked the fish cleaned the hooks and fed them on to racks all ready to be shot away. He had to manually sought out tangles but was using braided rope for mainline which I was told didn’t twist and wrap the snoods around itself like three strand rope will. With two crew and the auto longline setup, he said he worked up to 10000 to 12000 hooks easily in one day. The biggest problem was there was not enough ground to work that many hooks effectively. With limited ground and intense competition, there was a limit to how many hooks a boat can use in a day in this fishery – hence it is better to use circle hooks and he took the auto longline gear off. The same fisherman was considering putting the auto gear back on for dog-fish fishing. In the winter months auto longliners target dog-fish (spur-dog sharks) off southern Canada and Washington USA. The logic was that because they are found over mud bottom of which there is a lot, and when you get on to them the numbers are so thick you don’t have to set gear with precision, then the sheer volume of hooks that could be worked with auto-longline gear would outweigh the arguments for circle hooks and hand baiting he applied in the rock fish fishery. In Seattle, I was quoted $US5900 for a new Snag baiter. With the current exchange rate and costs of transport, this would quickly be over $AU10,000 and a new European model can be had for $AU9,000/10,000 and second hand European models for $AU3,000.00. I have also talked to a fisherman in New Zealand who was using a locally made snag baiter and he said the cost was $ NZ3000. If you can get hold of a good design building it your self is a realistic option..

A fisherman I knew in WA bought a European model snag baiter and a bait cutter for a cost of $12000. He could not get it to work satisfactorily and it is now sitting in his shed like the majority of snag baiters built in the USA. If you are in a fishery which has gear restrictions on the number of hooks a boat can use, there is probably no room for a snag baiter but if you can use extra hooks to compensate for the decreased baiting rate of a snag baiter, then there is an attraction.

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The issue of ezy baiting hooks as opposed to full circle hooks is another major issue. If you are losing 10% to 20% of catch from not using circle hooks then hand baiting is looking like the option. If you are in a fishery where it is done in day light hours and short soak times are necessary because of “pickers” stealing the bait or sharks robbing your catch, then a snag baiter and ezy baiter hooks look a lot more viable.

CIRCLEHOOK BAITING MACHINES Possibly the most revolutionary development in auto longlining machinery is the development of successful machinery to bait full tuna circle hooks. Marco of Seattle has developed the “CircleMatic Baiter”. One crewman is required to feed bait into the machine which then cuts it to required size and baits a full circle hook. Other crew are required to supervise the feed of rope and hooks into the baiter as well as clip on buoy lines and anchors. I talked to fishermen and the maintenance boss for a fleet of auto longliners and they swore by the effectiveness of the “Circlematic Baiter”. One fisherman who had returned from Alaska because he had caught his quota very quickly believed it is more effective than hand baiting. He was running a 70 foot longliner and said some days they worked as many as 30000 hooks. His opinion was that as crew got tired, the quality of their hand baiting slipped, particularly if fishing was poor, but the machine never tired. I asked about crew numbers to work his fully automated system and he spoke of 5 crew on deck. He said he had not reduced crew numbers but they were now doing different jobs particularly two men handling and gutting fish full time as opposed to previously with one man and everyone having to pitch in sometimes. His fish were now better quality (better price) and they could keep going if they hit a hot patch. He was working more hooks per day to catch more fish meaning shorter trips and less crew fatigue. He said the fact that the hated job of baiting hooks was gone made it easier to get top crew Of course there is a downside to this. The price for a Circlematic Baiter is around $US 60,000. The ray of hope for aspiring owners was the second hand market. I was quoted second hand prices in the range of $ US12,000 - $20,000. Supposedly a lot of the big factory longliners originally set up with 2 machines in case of breakdown but the reliability is such that the second machine is never needed. Thus there are quite a few of these machines sitting in sheds around Alaska and Seattle. Similarly in New Zealand second hand machinery is quoted at much cheaper prices. I had one estimate on a new Precision Baiter of $AU60,000.00 but half that second hand.

CONCLUSION The cost of the top equipment is very high but if you are in a proven long line fishery working with four or five crew: then an outlay of $80,000 for new machinery or $50,000 for second hand, measured against increased productivity with less crew makes sense. For a small boat fisherman wishing to develop a new fishery e.g. deep water long lining off W.A you will probably have to do the basic research by hand.

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Where a fishery is managed by gear restrictions then the small boat fisherman will probably find it impossible to invest in auto long line machinery or partial mechanization (Appen 3.). I say this because the most obvious way to automate for a small boatman is with easy baiter hooks and a snag baiter, but because of the inefficiency of this system extra hooks need to be run to compensate.

There are attractions for changing from fish traps, drop lines, trawling and manual long lining to auto long lining in different fisheries around Australia, but because of the cost and the inefficiencies in the cheaper equipment the management strategies of a lot of these fisheries need to take a sympathetic approach to get auto long lining happening.

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Appendix

Appendix 1. DECK LAYOUT FOR MECHANICAL LONGLINE OPERATION

Appendix 2. SIDE VIEW OF A SNAG BAITER, AS USED BY AN AMERICAN ATLANTIC COAST LONGLINE FISHERMAN View in relation with fig. 7 ‘snag baiter’

Appendix 3. PARTIAL MECHANIZATION OF LONGLINE FISHING Appendix 3. (cont.) PARTIAL MECHANIZATION OF LONGLINE FISHING

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Appendix 1. DECK LAYOUT FOR MECHANICAL LONGLINE OPERATION

Baiting operation When the baiting operation begins, one magazine is placedin position(A), and the lines transferred over to theshooting magazine(B) by a cross-over magazine(C).During the setting the lines go through the baitingmachines(D). When one magazine (A) is empty, anotheris placed in position and the lines transferred over theshooting magazine

Hauling Operation During hauling the lines go through the hook cleaner (1). Then the lines go through the twist removing tank (2). The lines are pulled by the linehauler (3).mounted on the tank. The hooks are automatically guided onto the transfer magazine (4). The lines are transferred manually back to the storage position (A). When one magazine is full, it is moved away for storage and another empty one is placed in position (A).

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Appendix 2. SIDE VIEW OF A SNAG BAITER, AS USED BY AN AMERICAN ATLANTIC COAST LONGLINE FISHERMAN View in relation to Fig. 7. ‘snag baiting’

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Appendix 3.

Oneis mlong

PARTIAL MECHANIZATION OF LONGLINE FISHING

Manual transfer of longline from haul winch (cray winch) to storage magazine Cray Winch

of the six operations (transfer from the haul winch to the storage magazine) in the partial mechanized senario anual. The number of manual components will vary with funding availability when establishing the a line operation. This senario is observed in the follwing boat layout.

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Appendix 3. (cont.) PARTIAL MECHANIZATION OF LONGLINE FISHING

Baiting Operation One magazine is placed in position (A), and the lines go through the randombaiter (B) during setting. Each hook goes through the bait box and snags a piece of bait.

Hauling Operation During hauling the lines go through the bait stripper (1). The lines are pulled through the bait stripper by the cray winch (2). A deck hands takes each hook and places it manually on the transfer magazine (3). Thereafter the lines are moved back to the storage magazines. As each magazine fills it is moved to the boat’s side, when an empty magazineis placed in position awaiting to be filled.

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4. Observations on Shark Fishing Management off the Atlantic Coast of the USA

A comparison to The Southern Shark Fishery of W.A. In the mid 1980s a decline in swordfish catch coincided with an increase in the price of shark fins; sword fishermen already had the basic gear and infrastructure to target shark and they did so. The majority of shark fishing on the eastern seaboard of the USA takes place between North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico Markets for ‘shark flesh’ became a priority. Academics, fisheries managers and food scientists began the push for answers to maintaining high quality long shelf-life product. Initial acceptance ocurred in ethnic markets and moved relatively quickly into the whole population. Large coastal sharks were heavily targeted. These sharks bring the premium fin price but also the premium prices for flesh. In respect of this paper shark species are considered in four categories for management purposes:

1. Pelagic Sharks eg. blue sharks 2. Large Coastal Sharks eg. sandbar, tiger, spinners (blacktips) 3. Small Coastal 4. Dog-Fishes

A high degree of similarity occurs within the large coastal sharks populations of the USA Atlantic coast and the Southern Shark Fishery of WA. The focus of this article will be on the relative management regimes of the two fisheries. US management of these large coastal sharks started in the 1980’s but was (according to one scientist I spoke to) nominal in nature. A fear of being sued by fishermen is large consideration of USA fisheries managers. A common interpretation by scientists/managers of their management practices was that it is often not possible to get realistic management strategies through the courts until there is irrefutable proof of stock decline, threatening a collapse. Originally a quota was set for the whole fishery, what is called a Total Allowable Catch or T.A.C. After awhile this was challenged on two fronts:

• Firstly, the sharks are already heavily fished in Mexico and then they move from south to north and back, where the southern fishermen were getting a larger share in comparison to the northern fishermen. In response the fishery was then divided into two zones, south and north, with separate quotas for each zone.

• The other major issue was that big boats were catching much more then the

smaller boats. As a result catch quoters were issued on the basis of 4,000lbs per trip. This hurt the big operators severely.

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The fishery was then operating on two six month seasons with both zones catching their quota in about five months which allowed a reasonable period for operators to make money without undue stress and it allowed a reasonable continuity of supply so as to maintain markets. Scientists were then recommending a reduction in landings because of over-fishing. With six states and a Federal body all involved in management consensus is rare so the call for reductions dragged on for many years. Eventually after legal challenges, which held up the introduction of drastic reductions, for two years – the regulations were introduced in 1999. The fishery now had two six-week seasons, where in the majority of cases quotas are satisfied in approximately five weeks. While I was in Madeira Beach Florida an announcement was made that not all of the quota had been caught and the fishery was to be opened for another 4 days fishing. At this point the research techniques and their interaction with the fishermen become more interesting. Fishermen are required to keep log-books but they were not considered a reliable source by the research people I spoke with. The most common response of fishermen I spoke with was antipathy to log-books, biologists, fishery managers and research. A common comment was to the effect “the more information you give them the more restrictions they impose so the less information they have the better off we are”. This was a fairly standard comment on the west coast and the east coast. To obtain more accurate information on the shark fishery an observer programme is run. The taking of an observer on-board is compulsory and a standard fee for the cost of stores is paid. An attempt is made to place observers on boats with sympathetic skippers. The observer:

• records every fish • measures every fish • checks stomach contents • checks reproductive state

Similar annual data collection conditions was the aim. Where possible the same style of fishermen are used e.g. a similar proportion of experienced small boat and large boat fishermen and if possible fishing the same areas at the same time each year so as to minimise the variables. Data is then extrapolated e.g. hook catch rate, proportion of each species caught etc. which indicates the health of the fishery and whether sustainability is possible. This style of management and research is common across the mainland of the USA. While I was there a similar massive reduction was introduced for the Rockfish fishery on the Pacific coast. Conditions such as: the lack of restrictions on entry to fisheries, legal challenges stopping the introduction of transferable quotas, a history of legal challenges delaying the introduction of gear and or TAC reductions, and interstate rivalries contribute to the precipitous nature of USA management. In the past because of the incredible

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productivity of the USA fisheries, fishermen have been able to pour out of one collapsing fishery into an adjacent unregulated fishery[s]. As a consequence of the massive reductions in the shark fishery some fishermen had left completely and the others were transferring effort to other fisheries. One of these is the long line fishery for grouper. I talked to two biologist about this and they were both of the opinion that this fishery was overfished and it was next in line for some serious “management”. One of the consequences of the massive reductions in shark landings was a collapse in the market. The biggest outlets for shark were restaurant chains and supermarkets and without a continuity of supply they transferred to alternate products and were not coming back The price had dropped from along term average of around $1.50/pound or $3.30/kilo US to $.50/pound or $1.10/kilo US. I spoke with a major buyer in Madeira Beach Florida who told me he had 500 tons of sharks sitting in the freezer and he didn’t know where he was going to sell it. What has happened in this fishery seemed to me to be a typical example of fishery management in the USA. Because sharks are very slow growing and this fishery targets the breeding stock, which is the most vulnerable part of most shark fisheries, the rise and collapse has been very swift.

Comparisons In comparison I feel that so far in the Southern Shark Fishery of W.A. we have a better system. The management has four main components:

a. Conditions Accurate log book data in combination with ‘on board’ monitoring provides reliable basis for stock assessment and projection. Minimum biomass levels for the main species are specified and in the case of whiskery sharks where this has been exceeded, a time frame for, and a restriction on the amount of effort is in place so as to rebuild the stock to this long term sustainable level. Effort levels are restrained by the means of gear restrictions. One “unit” of effort is a specific amount of net or long-line hooks that a fisherman may use for one month. If a fisherman wishes to use more gear or fish for more then one month he has to have more then one unit on his licence. The total number of units is restricted and the size of them i.e. amount of net and or number of hooks can be reduced to reduce the total catch or reconfigured so as to reduce the take of a specific species. Ownership These “units” are owned by private legal entities, usually fishermen. They can be bought and sold or leased and a fisherman is responsible for his own financial negotiations. Because of this ownership of these “units” mostly by the fishermen in the industry there is a strong incentive to “protect your investment” by supporting the sustainable management of the fishery.

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b. Co-operation

Strong representation of fisherman on the Management Advisory Committee combined with easy access to bureaucrats and research staff and a high degree of consultation has produced a far more cooperative and successful effort to manage the fishery. I feel that one of the most significant lessons to be gained from the USA is that the three aspects of fisheries management:

• fishermen, • bureaucrats and • research, all need each other.

You can’t do good research without good data and in a commercial fishery that has to come from the fishermen. Without good research and co-operation a bureaucrat cannot make good recommendations, and for fishermen with the technology we now have a situation where no fishery is safe without accurate research and the legal tools to limit and direct effort in order to maintain a sustainable industry.

c. Marketing The fact that the Americans developed a market where there wasn’t one and then mostly destroyed it holds lessons for us. One man was given a lot of credit in Florida for developing the market He is a major fish buyer and tied up in the ownership of about twenty boats. I asked him about how they developed the market and he said it was basically simple marketing with a lot of work. They had to provide good product with simple preparation recipes and then ran promotions in super-markets. He said you had to keep pushing until the market responded. With a foothold in the supermarkets it was then easier to approach the restaurant chains. We already have markets for our shark in WA but no marketing strategy. I don’t think there is any doubt that a targeted marketing strategy to raise the profile of our product in conjunction with enhanced quality control would increase the return to industry. The lesson to be learned from the USA is that it is not rocket science but determination that will make it happen and if we want to maintain our present markets it is time we started to look at our continuity of supply.

d. Federal intervention Where the USA fishermen were forced to take a massive cut in their fishing effort in one go we have managed in WA to reduce such an effect when required, through a phased approach. Yet the threat of Federal intervention hangs over our head. This takes the form of an amendment to the federal “Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 and the introduction of the “Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999” If, as an industry we are dragged “kicking and screaming” to comply with these regulations we are far more likely to suffer a similar fate to the USA fishermen.

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5. Oregon State University Seafood Laboratory The Oregon State University Seafood Laboratory was established in Astoria Oregon in 1940 and has run an active research programme in seafood science and technology. There is a heavy focus on surimi but this is not the only area of research. There has been successful work on the nutrition of hatchery reared fish and general scientific knowledge in salmonoid nutrition and metabolism; biochemical tests to measure quality, and methods to utilize fish waste. They have developed procedures for the use of processing aides such as phosphates in the cooking of prawns and crabs which increases meat yields in the deshelling process. Sea food waste and water use in processing plants is another major area of research activity. In 1998 a Seafood Research and Development Centre was completed. It has a mission to address issues in consumer education, training, research and information. The mainstay is the Seafood School which “will provide professional and non-professional culinarians a centre for hands on education and training”. When I was visiting they were working on a project on albacore tuna. In the USA albacore is primarily a canning fish and a glut in the previous season had depressed the price, and consequently the aim was to explore the culinary potential with a view to improving price. The project reviewed the on-board handling and transport of the fish so as to get products to chefs in prime condition. From this point, 20 top chefs used their creative flair and recipes and ideas are tested and proven. Albacore is an excellent fish but like a lot of other species it requires more then batter to bring out its qualities and this kind of basic research is giving industry an excellent base from which to build a new profile for a species. . The point of this article is that the Australian Seafood Industry has the same needs as the American and any other country’s seafood industry to meet the needs of the market, but we don’t have the big fisheries research institutions and access to funding of the North Americans and Europeans. The problems we face in Australia are often found elsewhere and the internet has the potential to provide solutions for minimal cost Browsing the Oregon State University website reveals considerable research into fish processing and handling. It is suggested that while this is only one institutional body, there are numerous such facilities throughout the USA offering research results. Consider this concept within the developed world institutions alone and the amount of information is massive. Much of these results could have application in Australia. Oregon State University Seafood Laboratory 2001.Marine Drive, Rm253, Astoria, OR 97103-3427 USA Telephone (503)325-4531 Fax: (503)325-2753 Web Site: http://www.orst.edu/dept/seafood/

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6. Cryogenic Containers Non mechanised refrigeration of containers to –60F up to 30 days or –90F for a shorter period, have been investigated and patents are currently pending. The temperature and time parameters above are being applied to the container export of speciality icecream from Kentucky to Japan and South Korea, ie at superlow temperatures. The early attempts at handling sashimi tuna in Australia were based on freezing the fish to the super low temperatures required for this product. The next step was to get this valuable product to Japan. This turned out to be quiet a difficulty because of a shortage of the specialised containers capable of –40/-50 centigrade The tuna industry moved on to air freighting fresh fish but a large proportion of seafood exports are still frozen Cyrogenic refrigeration offers the option of super low temperatures at a cheaper price plus as simpler system. A specialised container is used with a false ceiling which acts as a bunker.. After the product is loaded CO2 is released through a distribution manifold into the bunker. Half of it turns into “flash gas” while the other half turns to dry ice The flash gas vents downwards enveloping the cargo and displacing the air. The remaining flash gas vents out of the container. Over the transport period the remaining dry ice “sublimates” to gas and flows down over the cargo keeping it frozen. The Container Service Company lists the advantages as…. - Manufacturing costs are less. -.There are no moving parts . - No en- route monitoring is necessary. . - Maintenance costs are less. - The system can be recharged for periods beyond 30 days, - No breakdowns. - No power hook-ups are required ever. - The container can be treated as a dry box. - Extremely low temperatures. The company undertaking this research is: The Container Service Co. PO Box 2164 Lake Oswego,Oregon 97035 Tele 1-501-682-6812 Fax 1-503-641-4427 E-Mail Cryobox@teleport.com

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7. Superchilling of Fish The accent in fish handling today is on quality. It is smart business to produce quality product and with the extension of Seafood Quality Management down the chain from retailers to wholesalers and soon fishing boats it is becoming a legal necessity. Until recently I believed head spiking a live fish then immediate immersion in ice slurry was the ultimate in quality control. More recently articles on fish quality have pointed out that the finer the ice crystals in a slurry the more quickly the fish is chilled and the better the quality. A secondary advantage of finer ice particles is less bruising of the fish. The advantages to industry of attention to detail in these areas extends beyond better quality and marketability in the traditional time frame and consequently a better price; to a longer shelf life. An extended shelf life opens new markets and improves the retailers chances of selling the product in prime condition. While visiting the OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY SEAFOOD LABORATORY I was introduced to Paul Dion of Paul Dion Associates, Inc. Paul was described to me as an authority on “superchilling” and was then working on contract to the University on a “superchilling” project on Albacore Tuna and Pacific Whiting. The obvious question is what is “superchilling”. “Superchilling is a method of preserving fish quality by storing the tissue between –3 to –1C. The temperature range is critical because it is at the upper threshold of freezing. The tissue is benefited by the lowest temperature possible -- without undergoing internal cell crystallization.-- It therefore reduces enzymic reactions and virtually eliminates bacterial action, without the deleterious changes that occur from freezing”. To use laymans terms it goes like this. Fish can be held at –1.5C where they appear to be frozen but are not. Note it is critical to get the fish there quickly because the length of time between death and chilling affects the temperature fish can be pulled down to before it freezes. At death there is a difference between the salinity of the cells and the surrounding liquid. The cells are more saline and at –1.5C they do not freeze but the surrounding liquid does. This does not damage the cell wall but greatly extends the shelf life of fish I was told of farmed salmon from Chile which are handled by this method and have an eighteen day ‘top quality’ shelf life. Speed is crucial in this process. Chemical breakdown of the muscle fibre of fresh fish commences soon after death and with deterioration of the cell walls the salinity between cells and surrounding liquid equalises. This translates into a higher freezing point for the cells and at these low temperatures a half a degree makes a significant difference to the storage life of fish. The deterioration in seafood quality occurs in two main ways, microbial spoilage and autolytic reactions. Autolytic or physical breakdown of the fish flesh is a prime determinant of freshness and once lost cannot be regained. The period immediately after harvest is crucial in arresting this process and superchilling will not only extend

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the shelf life of fish but, it will delay these autolytic changes to produce “prime quality” fish. The argument from this point then goes on to say that a fish that has been held under superchilling conditions will have undergone less autolytic changes then a similar fish held at slightly higher temperatures and consequently will taste better Superchilling temperatures are achieved by using a mixture of ice, water and salt to lower the freezing point. Salt uptake is one concern that has been raised about superchilling but research has found this not to be a problem. Generally bled fish are much better then non bled and gutted better then ungutted. One of the problems with getting fish from harvest to market in top condition is maintaining a consistent temperature. At superchilling temperatures fluctuations need to be kept to 0.5C . Weather you are working at these or more traditional temperatures there is a range of instruments available to monitor a fish’s temperature from harvest to table. It is possible to get probes that can be inserted in a fish and when withdrawn they can give a printout of the fish’s temperature all the way through the chain. More data on this subject can be found by contacting Paul Dion Associates, Inc. PO BOX 712 44 Scranton Avenue Falmouth, MA 02541 USA Email; pdionpda@aol.com

http;//members.aol.com/pdionpda

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8. The Internet and Fishing Industry. Handling processing and marketing fish is as important as catching them. In the valuable seafood export sector big companies compete vigorously and successfully to buy the product and to market it; and as a result the worlds best in handling processing and marketing delivers the best prices to the fisherman. In the smaller fisheries the catching sector is often on its’ own. A buyer/processor may ask for better fish quality and the fisherman may ask for a marketing campaign but there is often a shortage of expertise money and co-operation. The Internet can help in these situations with the provision of information. Most problems that a sector of the fishing industry has, have been experienced elsewhere and if you can contact the right people you may easily overcome a problem; but one of the more interesting possibilities is the access to ideas and solutions that you weren’t looking for but may be of great benefit to you. I spent time in the Oregon town of Astoria and in what is a small coastal town I was amazed by the information and ideas available. The following articles cover these topics Superchilling of fish. Cyro-genic containers. Oregon State University Seafood Laboratory Green Groups And The Fishing Industry. More detailed information on the above points is available by internet and I have added the addresses and web sites to the articles. With so much information available in one town then how much is available around the world? The scientific side of fishing is very familiar with this tool but I think only a minority of fishermen are browsing the net particularly in the smaller fisheries. I can see the value of what’s available but I find the oblique logic of “ surfing the net” seriously aggravating The scientific community who are more familiar with the “net” are often not involved with industry’s quality and marketing problems but are more likely to have the skills to find information on the “net”. I feel that an opportunity exists here for someone with the skills to apply for funding to put a guide together to get fishermen and small processors and retailers on to the “net” .

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9. Notes on handling live fish from small boats on the Oregon coast. Fishermen on the Oregon and northern Californian coast have developed a market for live fish, predominately to the restaurant trade. It is an interesting fishery based on very low capital outlay on small boats with a very high value added product. I saw boats in the 20 to 30 foot range set up for this fishery Gear consisted of rod and reel combinations suitable for jigging for fish in the 1 to 4 kilogram range and a home made live tank with water exchange by deck hose and a simple aerator Depending on the depth ,speed of retrieval and species the fishes air bag may “blow”. The proven tool for deflating this is the needle end of a hypodermic syringe inserted into the appropriated spot on the side of the fish. Trial and error seems to be the major learning technique. The design of the aerator is crucial. Because the main engine is not run all the time the aerator is used to oxygenate the water and it has been found that the air bubbles must be very fine. Large bubbles like those seen in a traditional gold fish tank do not diffuse enough oxygen for fish that have been recently stressed [capture] and high loadings of fish . A simple and efficient design is the flexible tube from the air pump leading into a piece of PVC pipe which is filled with coral sand; holes drilled in the PVC allow the fine air bubbles to escape . The aerator can be used as a medicinal device. If a boat is fishing with the main engine off it may not run the aerator all the time. If a fish shows signs of stress the tank will be given a burst with the aerator which is a proven revival technique .The same technique is used in onshore holding facilities where tanks which are aerated at a central point will have a separate facility for intense aeration of any tank where one or more stressed fish occur. One of the problems on this coast is change in water temperature and or salinity when entering port, particularly those in river mouths. Naturally water flow to tanks is stopped and the aerator is used under these circumstances. The onshore holding facilities were more substantial and expensive. Holding tanks were connected to a central facility. The water was constantly recirculated and the central unit provided very meticulous filtration through charcoal filters, coral sand aeration was provided and chilling of the water is done. I was told recirculation is preferred to constantly pumping fresh sea water because a constant salinity and temperature is obtainable this way. Where fresh sea water is required it must be checked with a hydrometer and salt added if necessary.

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Chilling the water to the bottom of the fishes range is the best holding technique. The colder water holds more oxygen and the drop in body temperature slows the fish down. Both combine to lower mortality and maintain body weight. I was told that in this area fish are regularly held for two weeks with no loss in weight and one manager felt that with careful handling they should go a month. A common comment was “the less handling the better”. Complete units combining pump, filters, aeration and chillers are available off the shelf in the USA and with the amount of live lobsters handled in Western Australia I imagine the gear and expertise is available here The obvious question is, “are they making money”? The prices paid for the fish varied from 2 to 8 times the fresh fish prices. One fisherman estimated he was averaging 4 times the fresh fish price. With those sort of price differentials the incentive to look at the technique is their..

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10. Fishermen’s Associations, Funding and Green Groups in the USA

Wherever I travelled in the USA I tried to talk to representatives of the local fishermen’s association. Problems ranged across the familiar ones of the government, the recreationals, lack of fish and so on. What is noticeably different from the limited entry Australian fisheries, where there tends to be a fairly homogenous group of fishermen with “mostly” a commonality of interest was the diverse interest groups harvesting the same resource. The open access nature of most of the fisheries encouraged this. An example is the south Atlantic shark fishery, where legislation divides it into two zones. Northern shark fishermen successfully lobbied for this on the grounds that the southern based fishermen were getting a bigger share of the catch then them because the sharks migrate from south to north. The zoning is intended to ensure the northern operators a more equal share of the catch. The fishermen then divided along the lines of small boat and large boat fishermen when the smaller operators successfully lobbied for a trip limit, which let them take a greater share of a Total Allowable Catch. To further complicate the interest groups there is an inshore and an offshore fishery. To this diverse group you can add a combative recreational sector and it is very hard to get an embracing industry organization When I spoke with people from the different associations a common theme was the need for money to employ full time staff who are seen (hopefully) to be separate from a particular interest group and it was pointed out that with fisheries spread over big areas and interest groups it was a full time job to liase and co-ordinate. The task of funding these associations is achieved through a variety if means. Membership fees are common but the concept extends to a bigger group then I am used to. I spoke with a staffer of the South East Fisheries Association, which is based in Florida and mainly concerned with shrimp. He said the association had about 450 members. The members are companies and fishermen. The fees are…. $150.00 per boat. $250.00 per retailer (fish shop). $500.00 per supplier (gear store) $800.00 per corporation. This gave them a budget of $220,000.00, which allowed the employment of 3.5 staff At one stage they had run an insurance pool for their members and used profit from this to help finance the association. I heard of other associations doing this but legislative changes had stopped this. Some associations were involved in the marketing of fish and made a profit through this activity. Others had agreements where processors collected a levy from the fish sold and paid a percentage them selves.

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One idea that interested me enormously was the car yard that donated a quality second hand car each year that is then raffled. It appears the wives then do the hard work of ticket selling. Why I find this idea so interesting is the identification of a part of a powerful industry, which recognises it is the clear beneficiary of the fishing industry. One area where I found the idea of ancillary groups and industry supporting the fishing industry was in the town of Astoria, Oregon. The Pacific Marine Conservation Council has its’ headquarters here. Part of its mission statement says… “Fishing communities and concerned citizens dedicated to the health and diversity of our marine species and habitat” “Working for sustainable fisheries and the communities that depend on them” “We are dedicated to ensuring sustainable communities for our children, and fishing opportunities for present and future generations” The basic focus of the group appeared to be the management of the rockfish fishery which is spread over a large area and number of interest groups. The support for this organization appears to extend to the wider community in the fishing towns along the Washington, Oregon and Californian coast. The seventeen board members include Commercial Fishermen 7 Charter Fishermen 2 Marine Scientist 2 Environmental and Ocean Resource Attorney 1 Tribal Biologist 1 American Oceans Campaign Fisheries Advisor 1 Fisheries Consultant 1 Environmentalist 1 Marine Supplier 1 Recognition that the benefits of a healthy commercial fishery extend beyond the commercial sector and that legitimate interest groups are spread through the whole community, and this includes the recreational sector, has given this group a much wider support base, both moral and financial then if it was a purely commercial based organization. This translates into greater resources and credibility. In WA the representation of environmental and recreational groups on the Management Advisory Committees that advise the Minister on the management of the different fisheries has to be to the benefit of the commercial sector. Greenpeace And the Fishing Industry. One of the most surprising experiences I had was in Gloucester Massachusetts where I was introduced to Ms Niaz Dorry who was the head of the Greanpeace office in town. It was explained to me by a group of fishermen that a part of her job was to help small boat fishermen. I was in shock In a conversation with her she explained that Greanpeace had set up an office in town to interact with and support small scale commercial fishing. To quote from their literature

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-“greenpeace supports ecologically sound community based fishing ………. management should be community based……Some communities have fished sustainably for generations. They have the greatest incentive to maintain the quality of marine ecosystems, their livelihoods and way of life depend on it.……Ecologically-sound community based fishing must involve local fishers, and their wealth of experience and knowledge”. I was stunned , and asked local fishermen what they thought of all of this. Replies ranged from *&*#@!~?* to guarded acceptance. Part of this involvement seems to be to win a broader community support and to negate a perception that Green peace is against everything, particularly jobs. In this area the small boat fishermen have suffered badly with the collapse of the cod fishery and the small operators in long line, gillnet and small trawlers felt that they were getting a particularly bad deal in comparison to the large trawlers. Intrigued I entered the Greenpeace office. Two of the brochures on display concerned the southern ocean and included material on southern blue fin tuna. They contain lines like “…..the stocks are being systematically destroyed by Japanese, Australian, New Zealand, Taiwanese, Korean and Indonesian long line fishing operations……..if the wholesale slaughter continues unchecked…..” No mention is made of the agreement between Australia Japan and New Zealand to manage the fishery. No mention is made of the massive reduction in effort that put so many fishermen out of business. There is no attempt to lay out the research and explain where they disagree with the techniques, data or conclusions. Included are photos of Greenpeace boats” confronting” what looks like one of the Port Lincoln purse seiners. The fishery was developed by family owned “community based fishermen” and is still largly owned by family based companies. It seems Greenpeace reserves for itself the right to decide when a fisherman is a “community based fisherman”. Although I am sceptical of their support for, and definition of, “community based fishermen I was extremely impressed by their representative. I felt she was sincere and committed and she was extremely well informed. This organization has been involved in campaigns all over the world with a high rate of success. This expertise was evident in their representative. I felt that she gave one of the best appraisals of a fisheries situation I have ever heard; who the players were, the biological arguments and good criticism of them, what the agendas of the different players were and their chances of achieving them. I feel that this lady was proof of the advantages of a widely based organization with the funding for professional representation who are strongly grounded in “big picture” issues and who can use this expertise across the whole range of issues we confront in the fishing industry.

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