Background - 17 June, 2008
Long-lines consist of short lines (called snoods) carrying hooks, attached at regular intervals to a longer main line that is laid on, or close to, the seabed. Main lines are up to 150 km long and can carry several thousand hooks.
Target
A wide variety of benthic and demersal species (those that spend most of their lives on or near the seabed), including cods, haddock and flatfish.
How they work
Long-lines consist of short lines (called snoods) carrying hooks, attached at regular intervals to a longer main line that is laid on, or close to, the seabed. Main lines are up to 150 km long and can carry several thousand hooks.
Advantages
These have a much lower impact on the seabed than other bottom gears such as trawls.
Problems
Lost gear that gets snagged on the bottom may continue to 'ghost' fish for sometime, and there is bycatch of unwanted species.