Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries
To characterize sea turtle bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries in Massachusetts, USA, we analyzed a 15 yr dataset of entanglement reports and detailed documentation from disentanglement operations. Almost all (272) of the 280 confirmed entanglements involved leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea. The...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:12d1291d808f46fe953ba651c9008aa9 2023-05-15T17:34:43+02:00 Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries KL Dodge S Landry B Lynch CJ Innis K Sampson D Sandilands B Sharp 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01173 https://doaj.org/article/12d1291d808f46fe953ba651c9008aa9 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v47/p155-170/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01173 https://doaj.org/article/12d1291d808f46fe953ba651c9008aa9 Endangered Species Research, Vol 47, Pp 155-170 (2022) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01173 2022-12-31T03:25:29Z To characterize sea turtle bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries in Massachusetts, USA, we analyzed a 15 yr dataset of entanglement reports and detailed documentation from disentanglement operations. Almost all (272) of the 280 confirmed entanglements involved leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea. The majority of turtles were entangled in actively fished (96%), commercial (94%) pot/trap gear with unbroken/untriggered weak links, specifically the buoy lines marking lobster, whelk, and fish traps. Most reports came from recreational boaters (62%) and other sources (26%), rather than commercial fishers (12%). Leatherback entanglements occurred from May to November, with peak reporting in August, and included adult males, adult females, and subadults. All entanglements involved the turtle’s neck and/or front flippers, with varying degrees of visible injuries; 47 entangled leatherbacks were dead in gear, 224 were alive at first sighting, and 1 case was unknown. Post-release monitoring suggested turtles can survive for days to years after disentanglement, but data were limited. While the observed entanglements in our study are low relative to global bycatch, these numbers should be considered a minimum. Our findings are comparable to observed numbers of leatherbacks taken in Canadian fixed-gear fisheries, and represent just one of multiple, cumulative threats in the North Atlantic. Managers should focus on strategies to reduce the co-occurrence of sea turtles and fixed-fishing gear, including reductions in the number of buoy lines allowed (e.g. replace single sets with trawls), seasonal and area closures targeted to reduce sea turtle-gear interaction, and encourage the development of emerging technologies such as ‘ropeless’ fishing. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Endangered Species Research 47 155 170 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
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Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 KL Dodge S Landry B Lynch CJ Innis K Sampson D Sandilands B Sharp Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
To characterize sea turtle bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries in Massachusetts, USA, we analyzed a 15 yr dataset of entanglement reports and detailed documentation from disentanglement operations. Almost all (272) of the 280 confirmed entanglements involved leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea. The majority of turtles were entangled in actively fished (96%), commercial (94%) pot/trap gear with unbroken/untriggered weak links, specifically the buoy lines marking lobster, whelk, and fish traps. Most reports came from recreational boaters (62%) and other sources (26%), rather than commercial fishers (12%). Leatherback entanglements occurred from May to November, with peak reporting in August, and included adult males, adult females, and subadults. All entanglements involved the turtle’s neck and/or front flippers, with varying degrees of visible injuries; 47 entangled leatherbacks were dead in gear, 224 were alive at first sighting, and 1 case was unknown. Post-release monitoring suggested turtles can survive for days to years after disentanglement, but data were limited. While the observed entanglements in our study are low relative to global bycatch, these numbers should be considered a minimum. Our findings are comparable to observed numbers of leatherbacks taken in Canadian fixed-gear fisheries, and represent just one of multiple, cumulative threats in the North Atlantic. Managers should focus on strategies to reduce the co-occurrence of sea turtles and fixed-fishing gear, including reductions in the number of buoy lines allowed (e.g. replace single sets with trawls), seasonal and area closures targeted to reduce sea turtle-gear interaction, and encourage the development of emerging technologies such as ‘ropeless’ fishing. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
KL Dodge S Landry B Lynch CJ Innis K Sampson D Sandilands B Sharp |
author_facet |
KL Dodge S Landry B Lynch CJ Innis K Sampson D Sandilands B Sharp |
author_sort |
KL Dodge |
title |
Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
title_short |
Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
title_full |
Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
title_fullStr |
Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
title_full_unstemmed |
Disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
title_sort |
disentanglement network data to characterize leatherback sea turtle dermochelys coriacea bycatch in fixed-gear fisheries |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01173 https://doaj.org/article/12d1291d808f46fe953ba651c9008aa9 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 47, Pp 155-170 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v47/p155-170/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01173 https://doaj.org/article/12d1291d808f46fe953ba651c9008aa9 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01173 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
47 |
container_start_page |
155 |
op_container_end_page |
170 |
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1766133638763642880 |