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Chapter III Mitigation Measures for Incidental Catch
Article 9
For any tuna longline fishing vessel fishing with hooks at a depth shallower than 100 meters, any of the following mitigations measures shall be used:
(1) Large circle hooks shall be used; or
(2) Fishes except for Cephalopods species shall be used as baits.
The large circle hooks as referred to in subparagraph (1) of the preceding paragraph are hooks that are above three inches and are circular or oval in shape. The point is turned perpendicularly back to the shank. These hooks shall have an offset not to exceed 10 degrees (as shown in Appendix 3).
Article 10
Any tuna longline fishing vessel shall not use shark lines (as shown in Appendix 4) for fishing operation.
Article 11
Any tuna longline fishing vessel shall carry on board the line cutter, de-hooker and scoop/dip net, specifications of which are as shown in Appendix 5, to release incidentally caught seabirds and sea turtles.
Article 12
Any tuna longline fishing vessel less than 24 meters in overall length and fishing in the area north of 23°N shall use at least one of the following seabird mitigation measures:
(1) side setting with a bird curtain and weighted branch lines,
(2) night setting with minimum deck light,
(3) tori line, or
(4) weighted branch lines.
Any tuna longline fishing vessel of 24 meters or above in overall length and fishing in the area north of 23°N shall use at least one of the seabird mitigation measures as referred to in the preceding paragraph and shall also use one of the following seabird mitigation measures:
(1) tori line,
(2) blue dyed bait,
(3) deep setting line shooter, or
(4) management of offal discharge.
The specifications of the seabird mitigation measures as referred to in the preceding two paragraphs are as shown in Appendix 6.