This circular is issued under Regulation 58A of the Fisheries (Commercial Fishing) Regulations 2001.

1. Title

This circular is the Fisheries (Seabird Mitigation Measures—Surface Longlines) Circular.

2. Commencement

This circular comes into force on 1 October 2024.

3. Revocation

This notice revokes and replaces the Fisheries (Seabird Mitigation Measures—Surface Longlines) Circular 2019 and its corrigendum, issued on 9 January 2020.

4. Application

This circular applies to surface longline fishing when the surface longline is set in New Zealand fisheries waters.

5. Interpretation

1. Any term used in this notice that is defined in the Fisheries Act 1996 or the Fisheries (Commercial Fishing) Regulations 2001 has the same meaning as that in the Act.

2. In this circular—

1. aerial extent means the distance from the stern of a vessel to the place where the streamer line enters the water.
2. branch line (also known as a snood) is the line that attaches the hook to the mainline.
3. set, in relation to a surface longline, means releasing the surface longline into the water.
4. streamer line (also known as a tori line) means a line attached to the vessel, with streamers attached along its aerial extent.

6. Seabird Mitigation Requirements

1. One of the following seabird mitigation measures must be used when setting a surface longline:

1. Hook-shielding devices as set out in clause 7; or
2. Simultaneous use of line weights, streamer line, and night setting, as set out in clauses 8 to 12.

7. Hook-shielding Device Requirements

1. Each hook must have a hook-shielding device.

2. Each hook-shielding device must do all of the following:

1. encase the point and barb of the hook during setting of the surface longline until the hook reaches a depth of at least 10 metres; and
2. be designed to remain attached to the branch line at all times; and
3. weigh a minimum of 40 grams.

8. Requirements for Simultaneous Use of Branch Line Weights, Streamer Line, and Night Setting

1. All the following must be used simultaneously:

1. Branch line weighting per the requirements in clause 9; and
2. A streamer line that complies with clauses 10 to 11; and
3. Night setting per the specifications in clause 12.

9. Requirements for Branch Line Weighting

1. Each branch line attached to a surface longline must be weighted at a minimum in accordance with one of the following:

1. 40 grams incorporated into each hook, or
2. 40 grams attached to the branch line within 50 centimetres of each hook; or
3. 60 grams attached to the branch line within 1 metre of each hook; or
4. 80 grams attached to the branch line within 2 metres of each hook.

10. Requirements for Streamer Lines on Vessels Less Than 35 Metres in Length

1. A streamer line must—

1. achieve and maintain an aerial extent of at least 75 metres; and
2. be suspended from a point on the vessel that is at least 6 metres above the surface of the sea; and
3. be mounted as close to the stern as practicably possible.

2. The streamers attached to the streamer line must be—

1. brightly coloured and resistant to damage from ultraviolet light; and
2. a minimum length of 1 metre; and
3. attached at intervals of not more than 1 metre along the aerial extent of the streamer line.

3. Where two streamer lines are used, baited hooks must be deployed within the area bounded by the 2 streamer lines.

4. If only one streamer line is used, the streamer line must be deployed such that the baits are protected by the streamer line, even in a crosswind.

11. Requirements for Streamer Lines on Vessels Equal to or Greater Than 35m in Length

1. A streamer line must—

1. achieve and maintain an aerial extent of at least 100 metres; and
2. be at least 200 metres long; and
3. be suspended from a point on the vessel that is at least 7 metres above the surface of the sea; and
4. be mounted as close to the stern as practicably possible.

2. The following two types of streamers must be attached to the streamer line—

1. short streamers that meet the requirements set out in clause 11.3; and
2. long streamers that meet the requirements set out in clause 11.4.

3. Short streamers must be—

1. a minimum length of 1 metre; and
2. attached at intervals of no more than 1 metre; and
3. attached along the entire aerial extent of the streamer line.

4. Long streamers must be—

1. long enough to reach the surface of the sea; and
2. attached at intervals of no more than 5 metres; and
3. attached with swivels that prevent the streamers from wrapping around the streamer line; and
4. attached starting from a maximum of 15 metres from the stern and out to a minimum of 55 metres from the stern of the vessel.

5. All streamers must be brightly coloured and resistant to damage from ultraviolet light.

6. Where two streamer lines are used, baited hooks must be deployed within the area bounded by the 2 streamer lines.

7. If only one streamer line is used, the streamer line must be deployed windward of the baited hooks.

12. Requirements for Night Setting

1. the entire surface longline must be set at night – that is, during the period of time between half an hour after nautical dusk and half an hour before nautical dawn the next day.

2. for the purposes of clause 12(1) above—

1. nautical dusk means the time at sunset when the centre of the sun is at a depression angle of 12° below the ideal horizon for the place, and
2. nautical dawn means the time at sunrise when the centre of the sun is at a depression angle of 12° below the ideal horizon for the place.

Dated at Wellington this 5th day of September 2024.

JAMES ANDREW, Acting Director Fisheries Management, Ministry for Primary Industries (Acting under delegated authority).