Toothed whale and shark depredation and bycatch in the longline fishery of French Polynesia

Authors
Biquet, J.A., Tixier, P., Richard, G., Soehnlen, M., Thellier, T., Carzon, P., Clua, E., Guinet, G.
Year
Journal/Publisher Name
Fisheries Research
Volume (Issue #)
271
Page #s
12
Contact information
Juliette Biquet, Universit´e de Perpignan, France- juliette.biquet@lilo.org
Summary

 This study assesses bycatch and depredation  by sharksand odontocetes in the French Polynesian longline fishery between 2000 and 2018, and finds that less than 2% of the catch had been depredated, but shark bycatch was high (20,000 sharks annually, 0.5 shark every 1000 hooks). Conversely, odontocete bycatch was comparatively low  (13 occurrences in 18 years), though reporting may have been inaccurate. This is important as there is a plan to  double offshore fisheries production in the French Polynesia EEZ by 2027.