Cut the line!

I few of you have asked what happens if the line breaks. Well, if the line snaps for whatever reason we usually maneuver around to the other high flyer and start from there. We have had this happen before, but it’s not too big of a problem because we have a second chance.
We did though at one point snap the line, then try to haul it in from the other side to discover that the line must have gotten snagged by something on the seafloor because the same things happened again. This IS a problem. Apart from the fact that we spent the next hour or two making new gangions (the short lines with the hook that we then attach to the actually longline) and sorting out tag numbers to have another complete set to clip onto the hooks, “ghost lines” and “ghost nets, i.e. any fishing gear that has been lost or cut loose by fishermen can be a big problem and cause high mortality of dolphins, turtles and other creatures.
Last night we were happily hauling in our line when all of the sudden gales started up, then the rain. We continued reeling in the line as fast as we could, but at the point where hard hats blew across the deck and one of the hook barrels tried to make a quick getaway we got the call from the bridge to cut the line. Which we did, then packed everything down in a hurry and hurried inside.
By the time things had calmed down enough to haul the rest of the line in, our shift had ended and we were cuddled up in the crew lounge watching a movie while the night shift did all the work….