Characteristics of Seabird Bycatch in Tuna Longline Fishery in Southern Western and Central Pacific Ocean
YANG Haixia1, LI Pan2, PAN Boyi3, WU Feng1,4,5, WANG Xuefang1,4,5, ZHU Jiangfeng1,4,5
1. College of Marine Living Resource Sciences and Management, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; 2. China Southern Fishery (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518035, China; 3. Pingtairong Ocean Fishery Group,Zhoushan 316100, China; 4. Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Oceanic Fishery Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201306, China; 5. The Key Laboratory of Sustainable Exploitation of Oceanic Fisheries Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China
Abstract：Serious seabird bycatch problems occur in certain regions of the tuna longline fishery, representing a critical concern for global fisheries management and ecosystem conservation. The species composition, interannual variation trends, and spatial distribution patterns of seabird bycatch in the tuna longline fishery were investigated in the southern Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) (E 145° to W 130°, equator to S 45°), and high-risk species and hotspot areas were probed to provide a scientific basis for the high-quality development of China′s distant-water fisheries as well as seabird management and conservation. The indicators including bycatch per unit effort and bycatch mortality rate were used based on observer data from the longline fishery provided by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) from 2013 to 2019. The spatiotemporal distribution patterns of seabird bycatch and mortality were analyzed by interannual heatmaps and spatial visualization techniques. Overall, there was distinct characteristics of seabird bycatch and mortality in the southern WCPO, including pronounced species-specific differences, interannual variability, and spatial heterogeneity. Buller′s Albatross Thalassarche bulleri accounting for approximately 48% of total bycatch and white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis were found to be the primary bycaught species. The conservation concern of some threatened species—such as Diomedea antipodensis and Procellaria westlandica remained high, though they were a few in bycatch, with peaks in bycatch and mortality observed from 2015 to 2016 and 2019, likely involved in basin-scale climate processes such as the ENSO. Both bycatch occurrence and mortality were shown to be a clear latitudinal gradient, increasing with latitude, with high-risk zones concentrated in waters south of S 35° around New Zealand. These findings highlight the need for future conservation and management strategies to account for species-specific vulnerability and threat levels, while closely monitoring the potential impacts of extreme climate events on seabird bycatch risk.
杨海霞, 李攀, 潘博一, 吴峰, 王学昉, 朱江峰. 中西太平洋南部海域延绳钓渔业海鸟兼捕特征[J]. 水产科学, 2026, 45(4): 562-572.
YANG Haixia, LI Pan, PAN Boyi, WU Feng, WANG Xuefang, ZHU Jiangfeng. Characteristics of Seabird Bycatch in Tuna Longline Fishery in Southern Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Fisheries Science, 2026, 45(4): 562-572.
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