The Hawaii and California-based Pelagic Longline Vessels Annual Report for 1 January–31 December 2023

The Hawaii and California-based pelagic longline logbook annual report for 2023 (1 January–31 December; PIFSC, 2024) contains summary data of fishing effort and catch statistics as reported from electronic or paper longline log sheets submitted by Hawaii- and California-based pelagic longline fishers. Catch and effort statistics are based on date of longline haul. Vessel and trip statistics that cross over two summary periods (i.e., years, semi-annual, or quarters) are counted in both summary periods. For example, a trip total encompasses “partial and complete” trips within a time period. These statistics are not additive since partial trips are counted in the time period when the trip began and again in the period when the trip ended (i.e., sum of four quarters or two semi-annual reports is not the total for the year).Catch and effort summaries in this report were based on Regional Fishery Management Organization (RFMO) reporting standards and business rules. Longline catch and effort statistics in this report consist of U.S. longline fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean, attributions from CNMI, Guam, and American Samoa in the North Pacific Ocean. Longline vessels operating from California were also included in this report to satisfy RFMO data reporting and NOAA confidentiality standards.Tables 1-5 show fishery statistics for the stated time period, area, and shallow sets (15 hooks between floats). The longline effort includes number of vessels, trips, sets, and hooks set. Fish species were organized into pelagic management unit species (PMUS) groups of billfish, shark, tuna, and other PMUS. Each table includes the number of fish caught, kept, and released. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) is measured as the number of fish caught per 1000 hooks. Figures 1–26 show catch numbers, effort, and spatial distributions for important species during the stated time period, area, and set type for years 2000–2023.