Data from: Pan-Atlantic analysis of the overlap of a highly migratory species, the leatherback turtle, with pelagic longline fisheries

Large oceanic migrants play important roles in ecosystems, yet many
species are of conservation concern as a result of anthropogenic threats,
of which incidental capture by fisheries is frequently identified. The
last large populations of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea,
occur in the Atlantic Ocean, but interactions with industrial fisheries
could jeopardize recent positive population trends, making bycatch
mitigation a priority. Here, we perform the first pan-Atlantic analysis of
spatio-temporal distribution of the leatherback turtle and ascertain
overlap with longline fishing effort. Data suggest that the Atlantic
probably consists of two regional management units: northern and southern
(the latter including turtles breeding in South Africa). Although turtles
and fisheries show highly diverse distributions, we highlight nine areas
of high susceptibility to potential bycatch (four in the northern Atlantic
and five in the southern/equatorial Atlantic) that are worthy of further
targeted investigation and mitigation. These are reinforced by reports of
leatherback bycatch at eight of these sites. International collaborative
efforts are needed, especially from nations hosting regions where
susceptibility to bycatch is likely to be high within their exclusive
economic zone (northern Atlantic: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea Bissau,
Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, USA and Western Sahara; southern Atlantic:
Angola, Brazil, Namibia and UK) and from nations fishing in these
high-susceptibility areas, including those located in international
waters.