1. Cover Page –

Characterization of the Catch by Swordfish Buoy Gear in Southeast Florida

NOAA Cooperative Research Program Grant Number: NA07NMF4540075

Award Period: 8/1/2007 to 8/31/2009 (reflecting “no-cost” extension granted 7/31/2008)

David Kerstetter, Ph.D.* (Project Principal Investigator) and Shannon Bayse

Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center 8000 North Ocean Drive Dania Beach, FL 33004 *Corresponding Author: [email protected]

December 2009

2. Abstract –

This project had the goal of characterizing the target catch and bycatch species and disposition within the directed swordfish in southeast Florida that utilizes the so- called “swordfish buoy gear” (SBG). All fieldwork was completed by the end of August 2009 as expected with the “no-cost” extension granted in 2008. The preliminary analyses of the collected data indicate that catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) for catch and bycatch is much higher for SBG than pelagic longline gear. The fishery encounters very little bycatch, and those animals that are captured by the gear are almost always alive at gear retrieval and subsequent release. This project did not encounter any marine mammals, sea turtles, or sea birds. The descriptions of the behavior of the gear itself, such as effective fishing depths and relationships of effective fishing depths with gear configuration indicate that the gear fishes somewhat shallower than simple additions of the lengths of the gear sections would indicate. The various iterations of the field datasheet that captures all of the fishing activities (deployment, “tending”, and retrieval) and gear characteristics has also been provided as an Appendix to this final report.

3. Introduction –

Large expanses of waters traditionally fished by the U.S. pelagic longline fishery have been closed in recent years to protect populations of sea turtles and other bycatch species. For example, the Florida East Coast (FEC) Closed Area was closed in 2000, in large part, to reduce the catch of juvenile swordfish by the pelagic longline fleet. Other areas closed to pelagic longline operations include the DeSoto Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico (again, due to juvenile swordfish) and the traditional winter fishing grounds of the Windward Passage (in part due to geo-political concerns over fishing in foreign Exclusive Economic Zones). However, all of these areas once allowed the U.S. pelagic longline fleet access to some of the most fertile fishing grounds in the western Atlantic Ocean for swordfish and other highly migratory species (HMS) such as yellowfin and bigeye tunas. Closing these areas was compounded with gear restrictions, with the result that the U.S. share of the North Atlantic catch of swordfish has dropped from an average of 28.9% of the North Atlantic total harvest between 1985-1994 to only a 22.9% average from 2000-2004 (ICCAT, 2006), or a drop of over half from the catches in the late 1980s. (Although dated, these same trends hold true today.) These regulatory actions have also resulted in growing pressure at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) from other harvesting nations to revise the U.S. allocation of the total allowable catch of this swordfish stock. While recent actions during the 2009 ICCAT annual meeting ended without changing the current U.S. quota on the North Atlantic swordfish stock, such challenges to the U.S. quota share are likely in the future. Changes in the U.S. swordfish that would enable U.S. vessels to approach or catch its annual international quota of swordfish would also help preserve the important conservation advocacy role of the United States within ICCAT. Many of the public proposals to increase catch rates for the U.S. fishery have addressed reopening parts of these closed areas to pelagic longline gear, and on-going research in the FEC is showing mixed results in terms of bycatch interactions (D. Kerstetter, unpubl. data). These proposals have generally resulted in fierce opposition from both recreational anglers and conservation organizations, which prefer the status quo of leaving these areas closed to pelagic longline gear altogether. One less controversial alternative to reopening the closed areas to pelagic operations would be to adopt another type of fishing gear altogether. Swordfish buoy gear (SBG; Figure 1) is one such alternative that has developed in south Florida during approximately the past ten years. This gear type uses a small number of branch lines (≤ five historically, now one or two by regulation) attached to a 150-200 m length of 3.2-3.5 mm monofilament or braided nylon mainline. This mainline is then attached between a large lighted inflatable float or a “hi-flyer” radar-reflecting buoy to allow the gear to be monitored by the vessel during the nighttime fishing operations. Branch line construction is essentially similar to that of the pelagic longline fleet: approximately 15-20 m of 1.8 mm monofilament, with a snap swivel at one end and the hook at the other. Some configurations use a small, leaded swivel approximately 1.5 m above the hook to reduce potential torsion and entangling of the branch lines during the “soak” period of the fishing activities. Despite having some characteristics of a so-called “vertical longline” (Figure 1; also see Bjordal and Løkkeborg, 1996), each SBG section (“piece”) of gear is believed to function much more like a small segment of pelagic longline gear. Another difference is that vertical longline gear is more commonly used for reef-associating fishes or on volcanic, steep-slope areas (Sainsbury, 1966), although occasionally the gear is also used for large pelagic fishes, such as tunas (e.g., Dagorn et al., 2001). Because SBG is currently classified as “handgear” under federal regulations, rather than a modified form of pelagic longline, the use of J-style hooks is not prohibited. There is currently very little scientific information available regarding the SBG fishery in south Florida or its catches. Some small, recreational-type vessels may only deploy two or three pieces of gear, although some of these vessels are reportedly setting up to 12 pieces per night (pers. comm., S. Carl, formerly of Hi-Liner , Inc.). Large pelagic longline vessels, which pass through the Florida Straits seasonally as they move from the winter grounds in the Caribbean to the summer Grand Banks fishery, have reportedly tried setting up to 60 pieces per night (pers. comm., G. O’Neill, Carol Ann Sword Corp.), albeit with minimal success. Rising fuel costs have prompted some of the larger vessels that would normally travel to the Grand Banks to reconfigure their fishing plans for the summer to stay within 200 miles of the coast (pers. comm., G. Johnson, Pocahontas, Inc.). Given the increased pressure in the remaining open fishing grounds for traditional pelagic longline gear, and that 71 (39.2%) of all directed swordfish permit holders are located in Florida (NMFS, 2008), some of these smaller longline vessels may choose to remain in the closed area of the Florida Straits with SBG instead. This research project had two specific goals:

Goal 1: To describe the nature of the catch by SBG gear in the Florida Straits.

The gear type would be characterized through the described length (and weight, if retained species) of the catch. Additional analyses will compare the catch of this fishery with that of the recreational rod-and-reel swordfish fishery and the now-closed commercial pelagic longline fishery in the FEC closed area.

Goal 2: To use electronic monitoring equipment to determine the physical parameters of the SBG gear type.

In addition to the documentation of the catch and bycatch for SBG fishing gear, this proposed work would also use electronic monitoring equipment to determine the effective fishing depths and times. The determination of how the elapsed minutes since hooking would allow both a time of hooking and the amount of time that caught animals are attached to the gear during medium-scale operations. TDRs would be downloaded after each night’s fishing operations have concluded. The use of TDRs will allow the characterization of the envelope of the gear, i.e., the depths at which the gear is found during the fishing operations. Determining this parameter would allows the description of the theoretical overlap of the SBG gear type with its swordfish target species. Optimally, this could be maximized for species (or even juvenile versus adult) and therefore allow for the development of a more efficient gear type for the harvestable adult swordfish.

The larger goal of this study was to provide the basis for monitoring the catches within the swordfish buoy gear fishery absent a dedicated, mandatory logbook program. Although such a logbook program was subsequently implemented during the course of this project, these results still provide the best available data on catches, catch rates, and bycatch information for the fishery absent an independent fisheries observer program.

4. Methods –

The research conducted under this grant used several different vessels in the swordfish buoy gear fishery. Although the original proposal was to use the F/V Kristin Lee for the majority of the work, this vessel was frequently being used in the pelagic longline fishery and thus was unavailable for the majority of the SBG sets (see previous semi-annual reports). The use of the larger vessel was intended to permit the collection of data far more efficiently by both being able to monitor and fish many more buoys than a smaller vessel and utilizing the radio beacon buoys already aboard from past commercial pelagic longline operations. We were able to obtain an exempted fishing permit for the F/V Kristin Lee to allow the vessel to fish with swordfish buoy gear within the Florida East Coast (FEC) Closed Area of the Florida Straits, although the conditions of the permit required that the hydraulic system to the main longline spool be disconnected. In lieu of the F/V Kristin Lee, we were able to recruit a number of other, albeit smaller, vessels currently active within the SBG fishery. Other than the F/V Wonkajoe, all of these vessels were only part-time participants, however. To ensure coverage even during periods of low fishing pressure (due to a variety of factors, such as “poor” moon phase, high fuel prices, low ex-vessel swordfish price), we moved between vessels as needed. The homeports for the vessels used in this study were all in southeast Florida from Miami to Jupiter, and the physical vessel characteristics are listed in Table 1. Although anecdotal information suggests that small vessels are currently deploying up to five small buoys per night, with up to five hooks per buoy, the construction of the gear used during this research was in accordance with the description included in the Preferred Alternative of the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species FMP. Generally, one large support float and one smaller “indicator” float was attached to a short length of mainline (3.0-3.5 mm monofilament), and to this was attached one or two branch lines (1.8 mm monofilament) with one hook each. The lengths of the branch lines (leaders) and the sections of mainline attached to each buoy varied between vessels.

All fishes (no non-fish animals were encountered during this study) caught by this gear were measured for length, its geographic location noted, and the time of hooking recorded. If the fish was retained, additional data on weight and sex were obtained. Released juvenile swordfish were tagged as deck conditions permitted with conventional tags from the NMFS Cooperative Tagging Program (SEFSC Miami Laboratory).

This work covered 57 total SBG fishing nights total (not inclusive of any travel time to and from the fishing grounds, usually an additional one or two days per trip on the F/V Kristin Lee only). Fishing operations with SBG generally started prior to sunset and concluded prior sunrise, although some nights of fishing ended concurrent with local sunrise. In addition to the gear deployment parameters described above, this work also used electronic temperature-depth recorders (TDRs; model LTD_1100; Lotek Wireless, Inc.: St. Johns, NFLD, Canada) placed at the junction of the leaded swivel on the leaders to determine the depth and temperature envelopes of SBG. Although electronic hook-time recorders (HTRs; model HT600; Lindgren-Pitman, Inc.: Pompano Beach, FL, USA) were initially used on each leader to record the length of time that each fish was hooked, these were abandoned in lieu of the TDRs, which can also be used to show the hooking data. Finally, hand-held global positioning units (GPS) were used to mark the location of deployment and recovery of each section of gear (buoy), allowing further characterization of the SBG fishing grounds and estimates of effort in the fishery.

5. Results –

An initially-developed datasheet went through several evolutions prior to a “final” version that was used for the majority of the fishing nights in 2009. (All three versions of this datasheet are included as Appendix IA-C.) The final version captures significantly more data than the current logbook form required by the agency and could provide a template for the NMFS Pelagic Observer Program to adapt for use by future fisheries observers. A total of 56 sets were completed aboard commercial SBG fishing vessels. Of this overall total, 28 were aboard the cooperating F/V Kristin Lee, while the others were aboard other vessels in the fleet recruited into this project. All vessels fished between eight and 14 individual pieces of buoy gear per night, with one (18 SBG sets) or two (38 SBG sets) hooks per piece of gear. (See Table 2.) The most commonly used hook was the size 9/0 J-style hook, although one vessel captain was experimenting with size 16/0 circle hooks during this study and another two captains used size 7/0 J-style hooks. The locations of all these sets were within the southeast Florida portion of the Florida Straits within U.S. waters (see plot of the starting points for these locations in Figure 2). A single “hard ball” or “hi-flyer”, or a combination of both, was used to suspend the gear in the water column, as well as anchor the remaining amount of gear. A combination of lights, most often at least a strobe light, was used in conjunction with the hi-flyer or hard ball to track gear, and aid in bite indication. The mainline section drops vertically in the water column connecting the hi-flyer to the gangion, and this length is adjusted to fish different depths, generally in response to the different moon phases. Fluorescent light sticks, Electralume® LED lights, or both were connected to the lower end of the mainline or gangion as an attractant. The baits used were either Illex sp. squid or Atlantic mackerel Scomber scomber. A total of 27 SBG sets used only squid, 27 used only mackerel, and 2 used a combination of both. Details of these sets are included in Table 3. Bite indication, or use of “bite indicators”, are an important part of swordfish buoy gear. Swordfish buoy gear is set out from east to west in as straight a line as possible. The gear is in turn monitored from west to east, lessening the effect of ambient light on the ability to track the strobe lights on each buoy. If a buoy is observed veering away from the line of lights, that would be an indication of a caught fish. A variety of bite indicators are also used. An example of a simple bite indicator would be two bullet buoys clipped a small distance apart near the hi-flyer or hard ball. The inferior bullet buoy would have a smaller grade clip attaching it to the main line, this would enable the buoy to easily slide up the mainline if pulled on by a caught fish. When approaching the buoy, if the two bullet buoys are close together, this would be an indication of a caught fish. A more complicated bite indicator involves a stick or PVC pipe connected to the inferior bullet buoy with a light stick or Electralume® attached to the top. When the line is pulled down, it in turn lifts the light into the air, making a bite visible from much further away. During this work, 43 sets used a bite indicator float, while 13 did not. For boats that fished two hooks per piece, the top piece was set at a mean depth of 116.9 m. If two hooks per piece were deployed, the bottom hook depth was 221.9 m. The effective fishing depths of the gear were measured for over 250 individual SBG gear deployments with small (quarter-sized) electronic temperature-depth recorders (TDRs), the results of which are discussed in a subsequent section. To estimate drifts of each piece of SBG, positions were obtained for the set and retrieval of each piece using hand-held GPS units, as well as the individual catch locations for the last 40 SBG sets under this research project. Unfortunately, some of these TDRs were damaged during fishing operations (e.g., some were bitten), so not all of the records were recovered. Each caught fish was identified to species and measured for length and hooking location, while additional data on sex and weight were obtained from swordfish retained for sale. The original intent of the project was to obtain 14 fishing nights per calendar quarter to allow for seasonal comparisons of the catches, and to do so within the one calendar year of the proposal period. We were (obviously) unable to obtain these numbers of sets per quarter for the first calendar year for several reasons. However, Table 4 breaks down the number of SBG sets conducted under this research plan by calendar quarter, and we came close to achieving the initial objective. The one quarter in which we were missing several SBG sets was in Q2, which is traditionally a very slow period for the south Florida swordfish fishery as a whole, including the recreational fishery.

Analysis of catch rates. Analyses of catch rates with SBG primarily used the pelagic longline catch-per-unit- effort (CPUE) metric, which is catch per 1000 hooks. These analyses indicate very high catch rates for swordfish using SBG; whereas a “good” catch rate within the current pelagic longline fleet would be 7.5, the CPUE for all swordfish (retained, released, discarded) with SBG during this study was 202.4 fish per 1000 hooks. For retained swordfish, the CPUE is 145.4 fish per 1000 hooks. These values are shown in Figure 3A. However, an alternate metric using hour of fishing was also calculated for these SBG sets by simply dividing the CPUE above by hours. This is a similar technique to that sometimes employed in effort. These values are shown in Figure 3B.

Analysis of catch composition for SBG, including bycatch and incidental catch. The observed catch was dominated by swordfish: 171 total captured swordfish, of which 39 were undersized (only 4 were released dead). Five swordfish were lost at boatside. Although the sex was not determined for the discards nor a small percentage of the retained swordfish, there were 28 females and 42 males of those individuals which had their sex determined. For those individuals where hooking location was determined, 21 were foul- hooked, 30 hooked internally, and 77 hooked externally, defined as anywhere in the jaw, corner of the mouth, or other “normal” hooking area in or around the mouth. Three juvenile (undersized) swordfish were tagged with conventional streamer tags from the NMFS Cooperative Tagging Center at the Southeast Center Miami Laboratory, although none of these have been reported recaptured to date. For swordfish, the length distributions were plotted by retained versus released animals as Figure 4. The scatterplot of lower-jaw fork length (cm) against dressed weight (pounds) is included as Figure 5. Very little bycatch was observed for any other species. Only two tunas were caught, including a small bigeye Thunnus obesus that was released alive and a blackfin Thunnus atlanticus that was retained for crew use. A total of 13 sharks were encountered during this work: 1 bigeye thresher Alopias superciliosus, 3 silky Carcharhinus falciformis, 4 scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini, 2 night Carcharhinus signatus , and three unknown sharks (distinguished by the distinctive damage to the end of the monofilament leader). Only three mesopelagic fishes were caught – 1 oilfish Ruvettus pretiosus and 2 snake mackerel Gempylus serpens – despite their being commonly caught as bycatch in this general geographic area by the pelagic longline fishery. All three mesopelagic fishes were retained for other scientific research on-going in the Kerstetter Fisheries Laboratory at the NSU Oceanographic Center. However, we also asked participating captains about their observed historical bycatch species in this SBG fishery, which included the above species as well as the very rare catch of large blue marlin Makaira nigricans. During all of the fishing nights with this project, there were no observed interactions with any istiophorid billfish (e.g., marlin or sailfish Istiophorus platypterus), marine mammal, sea turtle, or seabird.

Description of the behavior of the SBG gear type, including effective fishing depths. Effective fishing depths of the gear were measured for over 250 individual SBG gear deployments with TDRs. These TDRs record pressure and temperature at 14-second intervals, and they were deployed during most fishing nights of this project to determine the depths of the fishing hooks on the gear. The next day (or the next day on land, for multi-day fishing trips aboard the F/V Kristin Lee), each TDR was downloaded using proprietary Lotek, Inc. “Tag Talk” software into individual files, the pressure data of which were then converted using a custom algorithm in Excel into latitude-specific depths. The measured depths from these TDRs generally ranged from 40-65 m (this did not change from previous progress reports, likely since similar gear configurations were used). However, these depth also are slightly dependent on local weather and current conditions. Several of these TDRs have been on hooks that subsequently caught fish, including one swordfish which went down to over 500 feet. We are compiling these data as well into a separate analysis of post- hooking behavior, including when the fish struck the bait and how long the fish was on the line prior to gear retrieval by the SBG vessel. To describe the depth component of swordfish buoy gear’s fishing envelope, known fishing depth was compared to expected fishing depths to determine the accuracy of predicted fishing depth. Expected depth of swordfish buoy gear is the additive length of the buoy line, gangion, and leader. Unlike pelagic longlines, swordfish buoy gear does not have a “sag” or catenary curve; the best prediction of actual fishing depth is therefore to simply add the lengths of the different lines (mainline section and leader) as they suspend vertically from the water’s surface down to the hook. The observed depth was measured with temperature depth recorders (TDRs) described in the Methods section. TDRs were attached to the leader 2 m above the hook and recorded time, temperature, and depth. Observed depth is given as the mean of each depth recording, excluding setting, tending, haulback periods, and any interactions with hooked fish. Total mean expected depth of 305 randomly selected buoys on 28 swordfish buoy gear trips was 71.7 m (S.D. ± 23.7 m) with a minimum expected depth of 18.3 m and maximum of 121.9 m. For the same buoys, observed depth total mean was 57.3 m (S.D. ± 19.2 m) with a minimum observed depth of 14.8 m and maximum observed depth of 105.2 m. The difference between total mean observed vs. total mean expected depth was 14.4 m. A scatterplot of expected versus observed depths is included as Figure 6. All vessels fished between eight and 14 individual pieces of buoy gear per night, with one or two hooks per piece of gear. Most of the smaller vessels now use only one hook per piece to reduce entangling between hooks on the same piece of gear. To estimate the drifts of each piece of SBG during its “soaking” (fishing) periods, positions are obtained for the set and retrieval of each piece using hand-held GPS units, as well as for every time the gear is checked, typically resulting in over 50 GPS positions per night of fishing. Almost all of the GPS data were downloaded directly from the hand-held unit into a computer file using the free “EasyGPS” software.

6. Discussion –

Catch and Catch Composition These data clearly support the anecdotal claims that bycatch in the SBG fishery is extremely low, especially as compared with the pelagic longline fishery. This was surprising, given that numerous species are present within the section of the water column fished by SBG gear. However, the way that the gear is actively tended throughout the fishing period certainly explains the very high rate of survival at haulback for animals caught.

Fishing Effort Metrics The current SBG fishery fishes a non-standard number of hours per fishing night, unlike the commercial pelagic longline fishery, which generally fishes from around sunset through the night to around sunrise. Therefore, we believe that the use of a new standard fishing effort metric for the SBG fishery should be examined further. The analyses presented here are inconclusive as to whether a time standardization metric (e.g., CPUE per hour of fishing) may be more appropriate for SBG catch rates than the current pelagic longline catch-per- 1000 hooks metric, or whether both metrics should be used and presented together rather than one metric alone. We suggest that additional analyses with the now-mandatory logbook data could be conducted for sensitivity to changes in hours fished or other factors to answer this question more definitively. While those data are currently considered confidential, we would be happy to work with agency personnel to develop the best methodology.

Practical Aspects of Research Proposal The planned research protocols generally worked as expected. The only substantial problem encountered during this project regarded fishing effort, specifically concerning available fishing nights with the F/V Kristin Lee. As described during prior reporting periods, the offshore catch for high-value tunas created a situation in which the F/V Kristin Lee could make more money by fishing pelagic longline gear offshore than even the compensated nights of SBG fishing under this CRP award, especially given the previously- mentioned poor local swordfish catch rates. This problem was addressed for the remainder of the award period by recruiting other boats within the local fleet, including the F/V Blue Baron II (two trips), the F/V John B (seven trips), the F/V Wonkajoe (ten trips), the F/V Miss Quik (one trip), and the F/V Slice n Dice (one trip). Most SBG vessel captains have other full-time jobs, and so scheduling trips on short notice given unpredictable winter/spring offshore winds was often difficult, even with a number of vessels participating. However, the captain of the F/V Kristin Lee was able to complete three final SBG sets in time for the end of the grant award period.

Submission of Final Data Finally, all data associated with the project are currently being compiled into an electronic format for submission as an accompanying data CD with a hard-copy version of the final report to the NMFS Southeast Regional Office. This compilation will include: a) Preliminary and final versions of the field datasheets, b) Scanned (.pdf-format file) deck-level datasheets from each completed fishing night, c) the raw microTDR data as initially-downloaded .txt-format files, d) the GPS data as EasyGPS .gpsx-format files If there are any other raw data your office would request from this project, please let us know as soon as possible.

7. Impacts and Benefits –

The SBG gear type is currently classified under the “handgear” category, and all of the participants who sell their catch commercially are required to submit logbook data. However, current logbook reporting forms do not differentiate between “attached” and “unattached” handgear, and accordingly it is not possible to determine the catches of only “unattached” SBG gear using the available logbook reporting methodologies. We have shared our field datasheets with the NMFS Pelagic Observer Program (POP) and other personnel who monitor commercial swordfish fisheries in the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Although there are currently no plans to begin a formal POP program of fisheries observation for the swordfish buoy gear fishery (L. Beerkircher, pers. comm.), we remain available and willing to assist the POP as requested. Finally, the results from this work have been used in the preparation of a 2009 NOAA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed swordfish buoy gear experimental fishery in southern California. For more information on this use, please contact Craig Heberer at the NMFS Southwest Regional Office, phone (760) 966-1956 or e-mail [email protected].

8. Extension of Results –

The North Atlantic swordfish stock remains a very important source of revenue for the U.S. domestic pelagic fishery, despite the pelagic longline gear type being currently excluded from several of the historically productive fishing grounds in the Florida Straits for this species. The domestic management measures implemented as closed areas to the longline fishery were originally intended to reduce the bycatch mortality of juvenile swordfish and this justification was later extended to include an intended reduction of bycatch mortality for the istiophorid billfishes. These closures have also had the effect of making it difficult for the United States to collectively harvest its annual swordfish quota from ICCAT, whether from commercial or recreational sectors of the fishery. Buoy gear presents an opportunity to allow an additional harvest of the current U.S. North Atlantic swordfish quota while reducing the bycatch mortality of many species of concern. The preliminary results of the partial data in this study were presented at the 59th Annual Tuna and Billfish Conference at Lake Arrowhead, California. A copy of this presentation (“Comparison of Swordfish Buoy Gear and Its Catch in the Florida Straits”) is attached as Appendix II to this final project report. The final analyses of the project data, particularly regarding the behavior of the gear during the fishing period, are still ongoing. We expect these results to be converted into a scientific manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal within the next six months.

9. Students –

Several NSU Oceanographic Center graduate students in my fisheries research group participated in this project by volunteering to serve as a fisheries observer for a night of buoy gear fishing. These students included: Shannon Bayse, Cheryl Cross, Heidi Da Silva, Kahla Elliston, Amy Heemsoth, Mae Taylor, Michael Tousignant, and Tiffany Weidner.

10. Acknowledgements –

We would like to express our appreciation to the captains and crews of the various SBG vessels that participated in this research project.

11. References –

Bjordal, Å. and S. Løkkeborg. 1996. Longlining. Blackwell Science, Inc.: Cambridge, Massachusetts. 156 p. Dagorn, L., E. Josse., and P. Bach. 2001. Association of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) with tracking vessels during ultrasonic telemetry experiments. Fish. Bull. 99:40–48. International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). 2006. Report for the biennial period, 2004-2005. Part II (2005) – Vol. 2 (English version), Standing Committee for Research and Statistics (SCRS). Madrid, Spain: 224 p. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2008. and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species 2008. Highly Migratory Species Management Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service. Silver Spring, Maryland. 446 p. Sainsbury, J.C. 1996. Commercial fishing methods: an introduction to vessels and gears. Blackwell Science, Inc.: Cambridge, Massachusetts. 359 p.

12. Appendices –

Appendix IA-C: Deck-based data sheets (three versions).

Appendix II: Copy of poster presentation “Comparison of Swordfish Buoy Gear and Its Catch in the Florida Straits” (59th Annual Tuna and Billfish Conference)

Figure 1. Comparisons of gear configurations between swordfish buoy gear (“Buoy Gear”), pelagic longline gear (“Pelagic Longline”), and the so-called vertical longline gear (“Vertical Longline”) used in some areas for shelf- or reef-edge fisheries. The majority of the swordfish buoy gear sets during research in the Florida Straits only used one leader per “piece” of gear instead of the two leaders per piece pictured below.

Pelagic Longline

Buoy Float Basket

Buoy Drop

Mainline High-flyer Ball High-flyer Handling Gangions “Bite Indicator” Ball Float Float

Mainline Mainline Vertical Buoy Gear Gangions Longline Gangion Figure 2. Locations of swordfish buoy gear sets within the Florida Straits. Each dot signifies the starting location of the set.

Figures 3A and 3B. Analyses of catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) for swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits. Figure 3A (top) shows CPUE based on catch per 1000 hooks, as is the convention for pelagic longline gear. Figure 3B (bottom) shows CPUE based on catch per 1000 hooks per hour

700.0 Total SWO Retained SWO Discarded SWO 600.0

500.0

400.0 A

300.0

200.0

100.0

0.0

0.090 Total SWO Retained SWO 0.080 Discarded SWO

0.070

0.060

0.050 B 0.040

0.030

0.020

0.010

0.000 Figure 4. Length distributions of swordfish caught during swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits. Many of the released swordfish were not measured, and those animals are thus not included in the figure. Note that the legal minimum length is 119 cm lower-jaw fork length, although there is an exemption for small swordfish weighing more than 33 pounds dressed weight.

35

30 Retained Released 25

20

15

10 Number of Individuals of Number

5

0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250 Lower Jaw Fork Length (cm) Figure 5. Scatterplot of length with weight for retained swordfish caught during swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits.

300

250

200 pounds)

150

100

Dressed Weight ( 50

0 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 Lower-Jaw Fork Length (cm) Figure 6. Scatterplot of the observed depths (blue) of swordfish buoy gear as recorded by temperature-depth recorders during research sets in the Florida Straits. Expected depths were calculated as the combined lengths of the leader and the mainline used to construct the “piece” of swordfish buoy gear. Depth in meters is on the Y-axis, TDR record number is on the X-axis.

Table 1. Vessels used during swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits.

Vessel Captain Homeport Length Engine Type Kristin Lee A. Mercier Pompano Beach, FL 54 ft Inboard Blue Baron T. Palmer Jupiter, FL 41 ft Inboard Nauticat O. Poets Miami, FL 35 ft Outboard * 2 Blue Baron II T. Palmer Jupiter, FL 41 ft Inboard John B J. Bassett Deerfield Beach, FL 35 ft Outboard Slice 'n' Dice R. Colbert Hollywood, FL 27 ft Outboard Miss Quik C. Payne Pompano Beach, FL 35 ft Outboard * 2 Wonkajoe R. Colbert Hollywood, FL 27 ft Outboard Table 2. Details about individual trips during swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits.

Set # Fishing Date Vessel # Pieces # Hooks Set # Fishing Date Vessel # Pieces # Hooks SBG01 9/11/2007 Kristin Lee 10 20 SBG28 12/17/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG02 9/12/2007 Kristin Lee 10 20 SBG29 1/11/2009 John B 13 13 TP01 10/4/2007 Blue Baron 11 11 SBG30 1/24/2009 John B 13 13 SBG03 11/27/2007 Kristin Lee 10 20 SBG31 2/11/2009 Slice n Dice 12 22 SBG04 11/28/2007 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG32 2/13/2009 John B 13 13 SBG05 11/29/2007 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG33 2/21/2009 John B 13 13 SBG06 11/30/2007 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG34 2/27/2009 John B 13 13 SBG07 12/19/2007 Nauticat 10 22 SBG35 3/8/2009 John B 13 13 SBG08 12/20/2007 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG36 3/10/2009 Blue Baron II 11 11 SBG09 12/29/2007 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG37 3/10/2009 John B 13 13 SBG10 12/30/2007 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG38 6/8/2009 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG11 12/31/2007 Kristin Lee 11 14 SBG39 6/24/2009 Wonkajoe 13 26 SBG12 1/9/2008 Blue Baron 11 11 SBG40 6/27/2009 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG13 1/12/2008 Blue Baron 11 11 SBG41 6/28/2009 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG14 1/18/2008 Kristin Lee 10 20 SBG42 7/7/2009 Wonkajoe 13 26 SBG15 1/23/2008 Nauticat 10 22 SBG43 7/9/2009 Miss Quik 10 20 SBG16 1/30/2008 Nauticat 10 22 SBG44 7/10/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG17 3/29/2008 Kristin Lee 10 20 SBG45 7/24/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG18 4/7/2008 Kristin Lee 10 20 SBG46 7/28/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG19 4/11/2008 Blue Baron 11 11 SBG47 8/4/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG20 5/6/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG48 8/7/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG21 5/7/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG49 8/11/2009 Kristin Lee 10 10 SBG22 6/3/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG50 8/19/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG23 6/4/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG51 8/21/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG24 11/14/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG52 8/23/2009 Wonkajoe 14 28 SBG25 11/15/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG53 8/24/2009 Kristin Lee 10 10 SBG26 12/5/2008 Blue Baron II 12 12 SBG54 8/25/2009 Kristin Lee 10 10 SBG27 12/16/2008 Kristin Lee 10 14 SBG55 8/26/2990 Kristin Lee 10 10 Table 3. Gear configurations for swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits. If no value is stated for the “top hook depth,” then the vessel only fished one hook per piece of gear.

TOP BOTTOM NUMBER OF HOOK HOOK BITE Set # VESSEL HOOKS/BUOY DEPTH DEPTH INDICATOR BUOY STYLE BAIT SBG01 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG02 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG03 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG04 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG05 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG06 Kristin Lee 2180240YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG07 Nauticat 2200300YES HIGH FLYER MACK SBG08 Kristin Lee 2192252YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG09 Kristin Lee 2120300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG10 Kristin Lee 2120300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG11 Kristin Lee 2120300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG12 Blue Baron 1.300NO HIGH FLYER MIX SBG13 Blue Baron 1.300NO HIGH FLYER MACK SBG14 Kristin Lee 2174246YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG15 Nauticat 2250300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG16 Nauticat 2250300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG17 Kristin Lee 2120300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG18 Kristin Lee 2132186YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG19 Blue Baron 1.240NO HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG20 Kristin Lee 260120YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG21 Kristin Lee 260120YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG22 Kristin Lee 1.150YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG23 Kristin Lee 2150300YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG24 Kristin Lee 2120210YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG25 Kristin Lee 2120210YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG26 Blue Baron II 1.300NO HIGH FLYER MIX SBG27 Kristin Lee 1.270YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG28 Kristin Lee 1.180YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG29 John B 1.350NO HARD BALL MIX SBG30 John B 1.280NO HARD BALL MIX SBG31 Slice n Dice 275150YES HARD BALL MIX SBG32 John B 1.280NO HARD BALL MIX SBG33 John B 1.280NO HARD BALL MIX SBG34 John B 1.280NO HARD BALL SQUID SBG35 John B 1.350NO HARD BALL MIX SBG36 Blue Baron II 1.252NO HIGH FLYER MIX SBG37 John B 1.350NO HARD BALL MIX SBG38 Kristin Lee 290180YES HIGH FLYER MIX SBG39 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG40 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG41 Kristin Lee 2120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG42 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG43 Miss Quik 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG44 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG45 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG46 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG47 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG48 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG49 Kristin Lee 1120180YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG50 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG51 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG52 Wonkajoe 275150YES HARD BALL SQUID SBG53 Kristin Lee 1.186YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG54 Kristin Lee 2120186YES HIGH FLYER SQUID SBG55 Kristin Lee 2120186YES HIGH FLYER SQUID TP01 Blue Baron 1.300NO HIGH FLYER MIX Table 4. Seasonality of swordfish buoy gear research sets within the Florida Straits. Note that 1Q and 2Q of 2007 occurred prior to the release of project funds, and 4Q 2009 was after the close period for this grant award.

1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q 2007 na na 2 10 20086605 2009 9 4 14 na Total 15 10 16 1