Longline fishing

Longline fishing uses a main line carrying many baited hooks on shorter branch lines, set near the surface or along the seabed to catch fish.

Branch line: A short line attached to a fishing mainline that carries a baited hook. Branch lines space hooks along the mainline and can be adjusted to target different depths.
Tuna fishery: A fishery that harvests tuna for food and other commercial uses. Pelagic longlines are widely used to catch tuna across ocean basins.
Deep-sea fishing: Fishing conducted in deep ocean waters, often targeting species that grow and reproduce slowly. Some demersal longline fisheries operate at depths where populations recover slowly.
Bottom trawling: Fishing that drags a net along the seabed to catch bottom-dwelling animals. Unlike longlines, bottom trawling captures animals in a moving net and can disturb seabed habitats.
Baited hook: A fishing hook carrying natural or artificial bait to attract and catch an animal. Bait and hook size shape which fish encounter the longline.
Swordfish fishery: A fishery that harvests swordfish, a large predatory billfish. Longlines are a major method for catching swordfish in open water.
Overfishing: Fishing that removes organisms faster than populations can replenish them. Intensive longline effort can deplete target fish populations.
Purse seining: Fishing that surrounds a school of fish with a net whose bottom can be drawn closed. Purse seines capture schools at once, while longlines catch animals individually on hooks.
Pelagic longline: A longline suspended in open water, commonly used to catch tuna and other large pelagic fish. This configuration sets hooks near the surface rather than on the seabed.
Patagonian toothfish fishery: A commercial fishery targeting Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean and nearby waters. Demersal longlines are used to catch this deep-water species.

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