• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2009

The National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) conducted a circle hook experiment to compare the catch rates of target and bycatch species between J hook and circle hooks in the tuna longline fishery of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which is located between $9^{\circ}13'S-1^{\circ}36'N$ and $126^{\circ}00'-138^{\circ}21'W$. Sampling was conducted from September 20 to October 23, in 2006. In this survey, we collected shark data to obtain the ratio of fin weight to body weight of sharks. Overall, 413 sharks belonging to 9 species were caught on 62,464 hooks. The total weight of the sharks caught was 11,093 kg. The ratio of wet fin weight to body round weight of sharks by species ranged from 3.7% to 7.7%, while the mean was 5.4%. The total ratio of wet fin weight to the dry fin weight of sharks ranged 0.38 to 0.70 and the mean value was 0.53. The ratio of dry fin weight to the body round weight of the sharks was estimated to be 2.86%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.329-338
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• 2007

Data collected by on-board observers and from experimental surveys during 2004-2006 were analyzed to figure out the status of shark bycatch in Korean tuna longline fishery. Results obtained from 10 surveys indicated that 14, 13 and 1 species of shark were incidentally caught in Korean tuna longline fishery operated in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic (Mediterranean) Ocean, respectively, and that shark bycatch accounted for about 29-31% of the total catch. Sharks brought aboard were processed in 3 ways; out of 1,127 sharks observed, 575 sharks (51.0%) were discarded after finning, 299 sharks (26.5%) were stored frozen after finning for future use and 253 sharks (22.4%) were released into the sea immediately after caught. The fin to body weight ratio of sharks was estimated to be about 4.7% which is similar to the guideline of 5% established by the international fisheries organizations. The underestimate of shark bycatch in Korean tuna longline fishery was significant because it was general practice that fishermen on-board did not count the discarded shark as a catch.