Pesca experimental com palangre de profundidade dirigido a grande pelagicos. Archivos do DOP, Serie: Cruzeiros, n° 1/95

In the Azores, the catch of many pelagic species, particularly tunas, is seasonal and it is not known if this seasonally is due to real change in local abundance, or to changes in the catchability associated to the behaviour of the species caused by the oceanographic conditions. Some species like, Thunnus albacares and Thunnus thynnus, are not catch by local fleet, probably because they are not available to the local surface fishery.

To study this problems of catchability DOP scientists developed in 1994 a project of experimental deep longline fishing in an effort to learn more about this large unexploited species. In this work we present and discuss the methodologies and results of an experiment with horizontal longline, conducted in two cruises in April and September of 1994, to analyse the possibility of catch this species by this alternative method.

Althought results are discouraging we discuss this problems in light of ecology and fish technology.