AN OVERVIEW OF CIRCLE HOOK USE AND MANAGEMENT MEASURES IN UNITED STATES MARINE FISHERIES

We provide an overview of the use of, and management measures for, circle hooks in various marine fisheries of the United States. Circle hooks have long been known for their conservation benefits, such as reducing deep hooking, and therefore, reducing post-release mortality associated with this event. Some US commercial pelagic longline vessels voluntarily started using circle hooks due to increased catch rates for some target species and increased post-release survival of non-target species, whereas recreational anglers began using circle hooks to reduce post-release mortality in catch-and-release fisheries. Despite previous voluntary circle hook use, circle hooks have been a relatively new fishery management tool in US state and federal fisheries. However, the difference in jurisdiction between state and federal waters has resulted in some disparity in state and federal circle hook regulations. In general, consistent management regulations between state and federal waters should be more beneficial for fish stocks that have both state and federal fisheries. Finally, while state and federal circle hook regulations are documented, voluntary circle hook use by commercial and recreational fishers participating in different state and federal fisheries is more difficult to characterize. Thus, overall circle hook use is difficult to quantify.