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 fur...

大型海洋洄游物种在生态系统中发挥着关键作用，但诸多物种因人为活动威胁面临保护困境，其中渔业兼捕是最常被提及的威胁因素。目前大西洋海域尚存棱皮龟（Dermochelys coriacea）的最后大型种群，但与工业渔业的交互作用可能危及该种群近期的正向增长趋势，因此兼捕减缓已成为首要任务。本研究首次开展了泛大西洋范围内棱皮龟时空分布的分析，并明确了其与延绳钓渔业作业强度的重叠区域。数据显示，大西洋海域的棱皮龟种群或可划分为两个区域管理单元：北部与南部（南部单元包含在南非繁殖的个体）。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区域（北大西洋4处，南大西洋/赤道大西洋5处），这些区域值得进一步……