AFMA in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) of the Department of the Environment, and the fishing industry, undertook a study on the impact on the survival of live baits with line weights close to the hook. Line weights are a form of seabird bycatch mitigation for pelagic longline fishing designed to sink baited hooks rapidly out of reach of seabirds. The trial was undertaken on a commercial tuna and billfish fishing vessel operating on the south coast of NSW, within the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF) during October, November and December of 2012.

This document elaborates the revised International Standard Statistical Classification of Fishing Gear (ISSCFG), as endorsed and adopted for implementation by the FAO Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) at its Twenty-fifth Session in February 2016 in Rome, Italy. The classification applies to commercial, subsistence and recreational fisheries in marine and freshwater fisheries. The document provides definitions and illustrations of the configuration and mode of operation of typical fishing gears. The primary purpose is to assist FAO Members, regional fishery bodies, as well as those working on fishery statistics and management, to correctly attribute and report fisheries catches made by different gear types. The document also contributes to the prevention, deterrence and elimination of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by providing monitoring, control and surveillance personnel with information to identify the type of fishing gear with regard to licence and authorization to carry out fishing operations. Finally, the document also provides context and references for some contemporary conservation issues related to major fishing gear types; it can therefore be used as a reference text for students and researchers in fisheries and marine conservation.