| The original baitboat fishing technique using a permanent association between the fishing boat and the tuna school has been developed by the baitboat fleet of Dakar, Senegal and is also in use in the Canary Islands. This new fishing technique, the result of 20 years of improvements still on, has induced a dramatic increase of the catch yields which, in turn, has sustained the survival and even a recent development of the fleet. This technique is based on the aggregating behaviour of tropical tunas. However, it contains a dynamic component which is not found in tuna fishing on drifting or anchored fads. The specifications of the method, its refinement over the years and its main consequences for the fishery are described together with the school exchanges... |
