The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is looking into ways to reduce the hooking of seabirds by longline fishing fleets.

Seabirds, generally albatrosses, can become hooked when they dive on bait while it is being fed from the stern of longline fishing boats. At night, the birds presumably can't readily see the bait and so they don't get hooked as often, and only night-setting is permitted now for vessels setting shallow lines. There are other requirements that the bait be dyed blue to make it even more difficult for birds to identify, and that fish offal be dumped on the opposite side of the boat from where the line setting is taking place.

But in recent tests, anglers have found that another technique called side-setting creates a significant reduction in seabird catch. In this technique, the weighted lines and baited hooks are fed from the side of the boat, so they sink alongside the boat and are more difficult for birds to reach.

Both night setting and side setting have been shown in tests to reduce the bird catch by at least 90 percent.

The fishery council, meeting tomorrow in Honolulu, already has recommended to the National Marine Fisheries Service that it enact rules to allow anglers to either set their gear at night or install side-setting gear, which several dozen boats in the Hawai'i longline fleet have done.

Proposed amendments to the rules will be reviewed at the meeting. The changes include reducing the weights used on the side-setting gear from 60 to 45 grams, reducing the hazard from a lead weight springing out of the water and hitting a crew member; and for night-setting boats, adding the requirement that they rig special "bird-frightening" lines.

The regulations apply to the shallow-setting longline fishery that goes primarily after swordfish.

Slightly different regulations apply to the deep-setting of longline gear for tuna.

The fishery council meeting will begin at noon at the council office, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.