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.

大型海洋洄游物种在海洋生态系统中扮演着关键角色，但诸多物种因人为活动威胁面临保护困境，其中渔业兼捕常被认定为最主要的威胁因素之一。目前全球现存的棱皮龟（Dermochelys coriacea）大型种群主要分布于大西洋，但其与工业渔业的交互作用可能逆转近期出现的种群恢复趋势，因此渔业兼捕（bycatch）减缓工作已成为当务之急。本研究首次开展全大西洋范围内棱皮龟时空分布的系统性分析，并明确了其与延绳钓作业量的空间重叠区域。分析数据显示，大西洋棱皮龟种群或可划分为两个区域管理单元：北部单元与南部单元（南部单元包含在南非沿岸繁殖的种群）。尽管棱皮龟与渔业的分布均呈现高度异质性，本研究仍识别出9处极易发生潜在兼捕的高风险区域（北大西洋4处，南大西洋/赤道大西洋5处），这些区域亟需开展针对性调查与兼捕减缓措施。其中8处高风险区域已有棱皮龟兼捕的实地报道，进一步佐证了上述风险区域的可靠性。亟需开展跨国协作，尤其需要那些在其专属经济区内存在高兼捕风险区域的国家参与（北大西洋相关沿岸国：佛得角、冈比亚、几内亚比绍、毛里塔尼亚、塞内加尔、西班牙、美国以及西撒哈拉；南大西洋相关沿岸国：安哥拉、巴西、纳米比亚以及英国），同时也需要在这些高风险区域开展作业的国家（包括在公海作业的国家）予以配合与支持。