Safer Fishing Gear Can Also Be Profitable

A new economic analysis concludes that deep-set buoy gear—innovative equipment for catching swordfish that minimizes the catch of nontarget species such as dolphins and sea lions—can be profitable for fishermen and provide a volume of locally caught swordfish comparable to the predominant method, drift gillnets. These findings come as the Pacific Fishery Management Council is considering whether to officially authorize buoy gear.

The analysis was commissioned by Pew and conducted by the Cap Log Group, an economic analysis firm based in Davis, California.