Shark Finning
Sharks fins are a popular delicacy in Asian cuisine, where they are used to make shark-fin soup. Because the fins are the most valuable part of the sharks and fishing ships have limited space, some long line fishermen actually catch more sharks than they can store, cut off their fins and throw the sharks back into the water where they bleed to death. The practice is encouraged by long line fishing, since it allows the fishermen to catch many fish at once.
Bycatch
Long line fishing is designed to attract a particular target fish, but other creatures bite. These unintentional fish are called bycatch and include juvenile fish and other animals that can't be used for food. Some of these bycatch, such as sea turtles, dolphins and whales are endangered. Although long line fishermen often try to reduce bycatch by using specialized hooks and attempt to return ensnared endangered animals to the water, often too much damage has already been done and the animal dies.
Entanglement
Another problem with long line fishing is entanglement. Sea birds, turtles and marine mammals that happen to be near the long fishing lines can get unintentionally ensnared. The hooks can tear or even tear off fins, wings and other body parts, killing the victims. This problem cannot be easily fixed with better hooks, since there's no way to stop animals from getting snared by the long lines.
