After a long wait my voyage on a demersal (bottom) longline vessel finally set out for a trip that will last over three weeks, sailing from the port of Ushuaia. I was delighted to find that this boat is very comfortable, with internet, LCD TVs and even a gym! Not something you find on most ATF trips! More over I found that I would enjoy good food, heating and a comfortable bed. These conditions really help you with the motivation to work during long sea-trips, and predispose you to perform all tasks at a high standard. We are currently fishing Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) to the east of Staten Island.
However, a few days ago we were 150 miles off Cape Horn, this is far to the south of Tierra del Fuego and everyone had previously mentioned that it is an area of high winds ... and now I can confirm it! They were absolutely right ... we spent two days without a moments sleep because the boat was rolling and pitching like a cork in a bucket. The waves were enormous and the winds were incredible, like I had never seen before! Like any storm, it soon passed and today the sea is like a mirror!
My job here is testing out a tori line design for longline vessels. Over the first days of the trip I became familiar with the ship, with the operation, trying to observe every detail of the procedures onboard. This is important to ensure that any mitigation can fit into existing fishing operations and daily crew routines.
The first days testing were not very positive, I had to do a lot of heavy work to get the 150 meter tori line, the buoy and a weight that generate tension deployed and retrieved. You have to get the captain to slow the ship down at the right times or it can be hard going on the arms! The ship has a hoist for the task which we used initially but it needed reinforcing. On one occasion, a huge wave knocked me against the deck and damaged my fingers and arm which required treatment from the ships doctor! I cracked on with the tests though and with the help of the officers and the ship's captain soon had the tori line working well. We used a hydraulic winch, which improved the speed and efficiency of the routine.
Part of our work is also to share knowledge with fishers and sailors, an often important exchange of ideas. Some people on board have many years experience working at sea and especially crews that have experience working in Antarctic waters under strict CCAMLR bycatch regulations.
It is fundamental to maintain good relationships onboard, and generate participation in the tori line tests. This helps give the captain and crew a sense of ownership of the mitigation measures and makes it more likely to be used when ATF staff are not onboard with them.
With respect to the seabirds, I’ve been able to observe many of the great albatrosses, the Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and Southern Royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora), with their wingspans of 3.5 m. I also saw many juvenile Wandering albatross with their striking brown plumage with flecks of white. We have been visited by some other marine giants, but ones without feathers - we saw Orcas (Orcinus orca) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)! I feel like I am part of a documentary again, back at-sea with the amazing animals of the open ocean...