Proposed revision to the estimation of fisheries footprints

A revised approach to the estimation of longline fisheries footprints is presented. The method uses a data-derived estimate of the uncertainty around the locations of longlines to define a buffer around these lines. Within a georeferenced framework, buffered lines are then matched to a 10km grid. The proportion of the area of each grid cell that is covered by buffered lines is then used as a footprint index.