Download FAR 2021/44 Characterisation of striped marlin bycatch in New Zealand surface-longline fisheries

This study characterised the commercial surface-longline fisheries that capture striped marlin in New Zealand. It assessed operational and environmental factors impacting striped marlin bycatch rates. No clear trends in operational features increasing bycatch were detected, but spatial and seasonal patterns in the distribution of fishing effort appeared to explain a high proportion of captures by target species. Important environmental covariates were SST, chlorophyll-a, and moon illumination.