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 an existing pre-season (15–30 April) and trial post-season (1–14 November) extension 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 2017, 15–30 November 2017, 1–14 April 2018 and 15–30 April 2018. This report complements the fishing effort and interaction data reported in 2015 (WG-FSA-15/48), 2016 (WG-FSA-16/28 Rev. 1), and 2017 (WG-FSA-17/20).