Duration: 4:47 min
 Description: We would like to thank Rob Stewart and the makers of SHARKWATER for footage used in this video. One of the priority campaigns for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is the global problem of longline fishing. It is the policy of the Society to directly intervene to stop the illegal use of longlines. What is a Longline? A longline is a fishing line usually made of monofilament. The length of the line generally ranges from 1.6km 1 mile to as long as 100km 62 miles. The line is buoyed by styrofoam or plastic floats. Every hundred or so feet there is a secondary line attached extending down about 5m 16 feet. This secondary line is hooked and baited with squid fish or in cases we have discovered with fresh dolphin meat. The baited hooks can be seen by albatross from the air and when they dive on the hooks they are caught and they drown. Other forms of marine wildlife see the bait from the waters below and get hooked when they try to eat the bait. The lines are set adrift from vessels for a period of 12 to 24 hours. What Are These Longlines Doing to the Sharks? Longlines are the most significant factor in the rapid diminishment of shark populations in the oceans. Longlines ranging from one mile in length to over one hundred miles in length are baited with fish often illegally killed dolphins or seals and are meant to target shark swordfish and tuna. The sharks targeted are caught mostly for their fins which account for only 4% of their body weight and also for ...

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