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DOC/NOAA RIN: 0648-BK74 Publication ID: Fall 2021 
Title: ●Pacific Island Fisheries; Pelagic Longline Gear Requirements 
Abstract:

NMFS proposes to prohibit the use of wire leaders in the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery, and require fishermen to remove trailing gear from any oceanic whitetip shark caught in the Hawaii deep-set and shallow-set longline fisheries and the American Samoa longline fishery. The proposed action is intended to increase post-hooking survival of oceanic whitetip sharks. The one-time cost to convert from wire leaders to monofilament leaders would average $168-$477 per vessel. With 146 active deep-set Hawaii longline vessels in 2020, this would represent initial one-time conversion costs of $24,528-$69,642 fleetwide. Branch line repair and replacements would cost $0.06-$0.17, and number of hooks per trip averages 36,659, so leader replacement per trip would likely cost between $436-$1,234 (vs. $2,164-$2,745 for wire). The annual cost for gear replacement would range from $1,528,920 to $3,795,996 fleetwide, not including time and labor costs, which are similar for wire and monofilament leaders. The cost to remove trailing gear from any oceanic whitetip shark is expected to be negligible. Each vessel catches one oceanic whitetip shark per trip, on average, and would need to reduce the trailing gear from over 5 meters to less than 1 meter. The transition from wire to monofilament leaders is likely to increase annual revenues by an estimated $2,660,879 for the fishery, or $17,739 per vessel, with the enhanced catchability of some target species, most notably bigeye tuna, with monofilament leaders. The use of monofilament leaders presents a safety issue for the crew, but it can be mitigated by using a flyback prevention device. Such a device and branch line weight configuration may cost about $13 and take approximately 30 minutes to make.

 
Agency: Department of Commerce(DOC)  Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant 
RIN Status: First time published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
CFR Citation: 50 CFR 665   
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.   
Legal Deadline:  None
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM  11/00/2021 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: None 
Federalism: No 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No 
Agency Contact:
Michael Tosatto
Regional Administrator, Pacific Islands Region
Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176,
Honolulu, HI 96818
Phone:808 725-5000
Email: michael.tosatto@noaa.gov