Currents play a significant role in longline fishing, influencing both the operation and its success. Here's how: Bait Movement: Currents can move baits, making them appear more lifelike and enticing to target fish. However, strong currents can also displace baits from desired depths or areas. Line Drift: Currents can cause longlines to drift from their set positions. This can lead to lines moving into undesired territories, like protected areas or habitats of non-target species. Gear Entanglement: Strong currents can tangle longlines, making retrieval difficult and increasing the risk of gear loss. Target Species Behavior: Currents can influence the movement and feeding patterns of target fish. For instance, some species might congregate in specific current patterns to feed. Setting and Hauling Difficulties: Strong currents can make setting the longline and hauling it back challenging, demanding more energy and time. Gear Stress: Constant strain from currents can wear out gear faster, requiring more frequent replacements. Safety Concerns: In very strong currents, longlining operations might pose risks to the crew, especially during setting and retrieval.