Can permanent closures of nearshore areas reduce the proportions of undersized fish in the Icelandic longline fishery?

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, about one-third of the cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) catches in Icelandic waters have been obtained with longline. Although longlining has been regarded as a conservation-oriented fishing method, a serious drawback of this fishing gear is the high catches of undersized fish. Our purpose was to locate areas where catches of undersized fish are high and consider if it may be feasible to close them permanently for longlining. Extensive length measurements used in the analysis were made by official inspectors on-board longliners during 2005–2013 in the main fishing area around Iceland. We found that the percentage of undersized cod (<55 cm total length) and haddock (<45 cm) in those samples decreased in relation to both depth and distance from shore. Our results suggest that permanent closures of large nearshore areas for longlining is a feasible option to reduce catch of undersized cod and haddock.