Deterring albatrosses from contacting baits during swordfish longline sets

Published source details Boggs C.H. (2001) Deterring albatrosses from contacting baits during swordfish longline sets. Pages 79 in: Alaska Sea Grant, Fairbanks.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Dye baits to reduce seabird bycatch Action Link
	Use streamer lines to reduce seabird bycatch on longlines Action Link

Dye baits to reduce seabird bycatch

A randomised, replicated and controlled experiment in February 1999, in the Northwestern Islands, Hawaii, USA (Boggs 2001), found that dyeing squid bait blue when setting hookless bait lines reduced attacks by black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan P. immutabilis albatrosses by 95% and 94% respectively, compared to lines set with un-dyed baits (measured as attacks/bird/100 branch lines). Twenty-four repeats of each treatment were used, set during the day to mimic longline setting for swordfish.
Use streamer lines to reduce seabird bycatch on longlines

A randomised, replicated and controlled experiment in February 1999, in the Northwestern Islands, Hawaii, USA (Boggs 2001), found that using a streamer line when setting hookless bait lines lowered attacks by black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan P. immutabilis albatrosses by 75% and 77% respectively, compared to controls. Streamer lines were 150 m long: a 10 m attachment section of 6.25 mm twisted yellow polypropylene; 40 m with seven forked ‘aerial streamers’; 85 m of red 3 mm nylon with eight small streamers in the first 40 m, 15 m of 12 mm yellow polypropylene. Lines were attached 8 m above the stern so that the first streamer touched the water approximately 5 m behind the bait entry point. Twenty four repeats of each treatment were used, with lines set during the day, mimicking swordfish longline techniques.