SMART Drumline Catch Report

JUNE 2019 

Operation Summary

During June 2019, 10 SMART drumlines (SDL) were deployed during daylight hours for twelve (12) days across the Gracetown SMART drumline fishing zone. 

Weather permitting, SMART drumlines are deployed and retrieved each day. However, adverse weather conditions prevented the setting of SDLs for eighteen (18) days.

Catch Summary

During June 2019, no target species (white sharks) were caught. Five non-target sharks were caught, along with two other non-target species. All sharks were tagged and released alive. There were no recaptures recorded.

Full details are listed in the table below.

Other comments

During June 2019, SMART buoys were activated 31 times, with an average response time of 15 minutes. The maximum response time of 30 minutes from alert, via the SDL, to arrival of the vessel at the SDL was exceeded on three occasions, all of which were false alarms (i.e. there was no hooked animal upon checking the SDL).

The response time was exceeded twice on 16 June (30 and 62 minutes) and once on 13 June (34 minutes). 

The longer response times were the result of multiple alarms being activated within a short period of time at either end of the 11.5 kilometre drumline fishing zone.

Table 1. SMART drumline (SDL) target species catch details for June 2019. 

*No target species caught.

Table 2. SMART drumline (SDL) non-target species and by-catch details for June 2019.