Report on fishing effort and seabird interactions during the season extension trials in the longline fishery for Dissostichus eleginoides in Statistical Division 58.5.2

CCAMLR XXXIV (para. 5.68) endorsed new pre-season (1-14 April) and post-season (15-30 November) trial season extensions, in addition to existing pre-season (15-30 April) and post-season (1-14 November) trial extensions in the Patagonian toothfish longline fishery in Statistical Division 58.5.2 (WG-FSA-15/48).

Australia undertook to report annually on the results of all the trials. This paper presents information on fishing effort and seabird interactions with fishing gear collected during the periods 1-14 November 2016, 15-30 November 2016, 1-14 April 2017 and 15-30 April 2017. This report complements the fishing effort and interaction data reported in 2015 (WG-FSA-15/48) and 2016 (WG-FSA-16/28r1).