Sea turtle gear interaction collected in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Atlantic from 1989-01-14 to 2015-06-02 (NCEI Accession 0144841)

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories is responsible for new gear development and testing to reduce bycatch and incidental interactions of protected species. A gear repository and associated fishing gear database are maintained and updated quarterly to track all reported human interactions with sea turtles strandings. Fishing gear and other articles from human interactions are collected by the Southeast Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) and shipped to the gear repository for analysis and archiving. The gear is reviewed by staff gear experts that have a background in the particular fishery or commercial/recreational application.