ORCASAV : a new fishing technique for the fishing of Patagonian Toothfish, benefiting both the environment and boat owners
THEME 4: MARINE BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES / FISHING
Officially recognised by Pôle Qualitropic on Reunion Island, and co-recognised by Pôle Mer Bretagne.
Officially recognised by Pôle Qualitropic on Reunion Island, and co-recognised by Pôle Mer Bretagne.
The Patagonian Toothfish, a large species which can reach 2 metres in length and which lives at depths of up to 2000 metres in the cold waters of the southern oceans, has been much sought after by consumers in Asia and, particularly, the United States since the 1990s. On the island of Reunion, located in the world’s leading region for Patagonian Toothfish production, fishing for this species is of major economic importance. Production on Reunion centres on a group of 6 boat owners with a fleet of 7 vessels, who employ 220 staff and whose operations generate a significant number of land-based jobs.
Fishing for Patagonian Toothfish is now closely monitored, as the species is highly prized by illegal fishermen. Each vessel has an on-board observer to ensure boats do not breach fishing and environmental regulations. Given some of the requirements set out in these regulations, current longline fishing practices are unsatisfactory. Around the Crozet archipelago, sperm and killer whales have learned how to ‘help themselves’ to longline catches, despite the fact that normally they do not prey on Patagonian Toothfish. The quantities consumed, an estimated 30% of gross catch, are included in boat owners’ quotas. Longline fishing also poses a threat to sea birds, which are attracted by the bait and get entangled in the hooks.
ORCASAV aims to perfect an alternative method of fishing, avoiding the use of longlines and deploying a type of pot currently unavailable and designed for deep-sea fishing for large-size species. This method will prevent birds from accessing the bait and will avoid trapping marine mammals. Each fish caught and hauled on board using such gear will constitute a better quality product thanks to a technique which is less traumatic for the fish and more sustainable in terms of the species and its ecosystem.
Fishing for Patagonian Toothfish is now closely monitored, as the species is highly prized by illegal fishermen. Each vessel has an on-board observer to ensure boats do not breach fishing and environmental regulations. Given some of the requirements set out in these regulations, current longline fishing practices are unsatisfactory. Around the Crozet archipelago, sperm and killer whales have learned how to ‘help themselves’ to longline catches, despite the fact that normally they do not prey on Patagonian Toothfish. The quantities consumed, an estimated 30% of gross catch, are included in boat owners’ quotas. Longline fishing also poses a threat to sea birds, which are attracted by the bait and get entangled in the hooks.
ORCASAV aims to perfect an alternative method of fishing, avoiding the use of longlines and deploying a type of pot currently unavailable and designed for deep-sea fishing for large-size species. This method will prevent birds from accessing the bait and will avoid trapping marine mammals. Each fish caught and hauled on board using such gear will constitute a better quality product thanks to a technique which is less traumatic for the fish and more sustainable in terms of the species and its ecosystem.
ORCASAV PROJECT PARTNERS
Companies
- S.A.R.P.C, Le Port, Reunion Island, project director. The Syndicat des armements réunionnais de palangriers congélateurs (Syndicate of Reunion Refrigerated Longliner Owners) is a federation of all of this fishery’s boat owners who operate under legal quotas in TAAF waters (French Southern and Antarctic Territories): Armas Pêche, Les Armements Réunionnais, Cap Bourbon, Comata, Pêche Avenir and Sapmer
- Le Drezen, Le Guilvinec, fishing gear development partner for the project
Research Centres
- Ifremer La Réunion, project co-ordinator
- Ifremer Lorient, Laboratoire de Technologies Halieutiques (Fishing Technology Laboratory), development of prototypes
- Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (French National Natural History Museum) and CEBC-CNRS (Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé – Chizé Biological Studies Centre)
French Government Préfet responsible for TAAF, French Southern and Antarctic Territories
Contact: francoise.delabaere@qualitropic.fr
