AFSC/ABL: Longline Survey Special Projects

Two-day experiments have been conducted as a separate leg on the Alaska Fisheries Science Centers longline survey since 1998. Experiments are conducted usually in the vicinity of Yakutat, Alaska in late July of each year. The majority of projects are longline gear related and include hook spacing experiments, hand versus auto bait gear comparisons, and bait type comparisons. Rockfish genetics and sperm whale depredation studies have also been conducted. Data collected during the two-day experiments include 100% hook census of catch, lengths of major species caught, and data collection procedures relevant to each individual study. The data are housed in a Microsoft Access database and maintained by the Marine Ecology and Stock Assessment group at the Auke Bay Laboratories.