I spent time at sea for my first trip as an instructor onboard a 35 m longline vessel. The trip was short, lasting just eight days, so we only managed to set three lines before returning to port.
During my time onboard, I discussed the need to reduce the access of the seabirds to the baited hooks while they are setting the line.
Together with the captain and various members of the crew, we incorporated some Time Depth Recorders (TDRs) onto the main line. These are small devices that, when deployed record the time and depth as the line sinks, ultimately giving a sink rate for the line. This gives us a better idea of how the line, and therefore hooks are behaving in the water during the set.
While I was at sea, five seabirds were captured, three of which were black-browed albatrosses, one was a spectacled petrel and one was a yellow-nosed albatross. Fortunately, the last two were entangled on the gear and we were able to release them alive with no visible signs of damage.