An interview-based approach to assess sea turtle bycatch in Italian waters

Lucchetti, Alessandro; Vasapollo, Claudio; Virgili, Massimo

doi:10.7717/peerj.3151

Cited by 39 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The use of fishers' knowledge, gathered through rapid bycatch assessments (i.e., direct interviews of fishers), to obtain information about fisheries interactions with threatened species (e.g., marine turtles) has been implemented in various locations (Moore et al, 2010;Lucchetti et al, 2017a;Alfaro-Shigueto et al, 2018). Rapid assessments represent a standardized, lowcost, and relatively fast methodology when compared to the implementation of on-board monitoring programs (Lucchetti et al, 2017b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Assessments of Leatherback Small-Scale Fishery Bycatch in Internesting Areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Ortiz‐Alvarez¹,

Pajuelo²,

Grados

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Assessments of Leatherback Small-Scale Fishery Bycatch in Internesting Areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Ortiz‐Alvarez¹,

Pajuelo²,

Grados

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to this type of litter (Wilcox et al 2016). Although non-target captures (bycatch) of sea turtles in active fishing gear has been studied and shown to have significant impacts on turtle populations (Bourjea et al 2008, Wallace et al 2010, Peckham et al 2016, Lucchetti et al 2017, the scale of impacts due to ghost nets is less well understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untangling the origin of ghost gear within the Maldivian archipelago and its impact on olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) populations

Stelfox¹,

Bulling²,

Sweet³

2019

Endang. Species. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is little documentation available on the impact of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing nets ('ghost nets') on turtle populations. Here, we utilise data collected over a 5 year period to assess (1) if a particular net type or characteristic was identifiable as entangling more turtles and (2) if particular fishing practices (i.e. types of nets) could be managed to reduce turtle entanglement in the Maldivian archipelago. A total of 131 turtles were entangled in the 752 reported ghost nets, and olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea appeared to be the most vulnerable (making up 97% of entangled turtles). However, we estimate that the 752 nets in this study, reported over a 51 month period, could have entangled between 3400 and 12 200 turtles across the Indian Ocean prior to being detected in the Maldives. Mesh size, seasonality (i.e. north east monsoon), and the presence of floats were all identified as variables significantly affecting the likelihood of turtle entanglement. The probability of entanglement increased as the mesh size increased but decreased when floats were present. Additionally, turtles were more likely to be entangled during the north east monsoon when currents flow from east to west. Cluster analysis indicated that there were at least 11 broadly assigned net types found floating in the study area, and these were dominated by trawl and gill nets. Our analyses highlight the need for a detailed database of existing gear types coupled with gear marking to improve traceability of ghost nets in the Indian Ocean.

show abstract

“…Nevertheless, the adoption of conservation actions for the species is still a crucial point in the Mediterranean. Due to their habits, such as breeding and feeding migrations, loggerhead turtles interact with several types of fishing gears (towed gears, set nets and longlines) [13,14]. In [15] the author estimated that more than 150000 captures per year occur in the Mediterranean due to fishery, with more than 50000 deaths per year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In [15] the author estimated that more than 150000 captures per year occur in the Mediterranean due to fishery, with more than 50000 deaths per year. [13] estimated that around the Italian coasts more than 52000 turtles are caught per year with a mortality of 10000 individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the massive presence of fishing vessels and loggerhead individuals, the northwestern Adriatic is considered as a bycatch hotspot where the probability of encounter between a trawler and a turtle is considerably high above all in late summer-autumn [16]. The annual trawlers bycatch of sea turtles in the northern Adriatic was estimated as more than 6500 individuals [13,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Bottom trawl catch comparison in the Mediterranean Sea: Flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED)vstraditional gear

Vasapollo

Virgili

Petetta

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

16The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot of biodiversity, but the high fishing pressure results in high 17 bycatch rates of protected (sea turtles and cetaceans) and top predator species (sharks). The 18 reduction of bycatch is challenging for fishery scientists, as conservation of these species has 19 become a priority. Among the animals threatened by fishing activities, the loggerhead (Caretta 20 caretta) represents a charismatic species considered as "vulnerable" at the global scale by IUCN. 21 In the Mediterranean Sea, trawl nets show the highest probabilities of bycatch of protected species, 22 with high rates of mortality. A new flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED) has been tested for the 23 first time on a commercial scale in the Mediterranean Sea to assess its effectiveness in reducing 24 bycatch. The results did not show any significant (α = 0.05) loss in terms of commercial weight, but 25 a significant reduction of debris in the codend of the nets mounting the TED respect to traditional 26 nets. The catch comparison of the main commercial species showed similar rates without any 27 significant loss of sizes, with the only exception of anglerfishes (Lophius spp.) that showed a loss of 28 the largest individuals by TED. In terms of bycatch, the traditional nets captured mostly rays and 29 sharks, while no turtles were captured, at all. In this regard, the authors were informed by other 30 vessels operating in the same areas at the time of the trials about some accidental catches of 31 loggerhead turtles. Our results demonstrated that the flexible TED represents a practical and 32 effective solution to reduce the bycatch of endangered species in coastal Mediterranean demersal 33 multispecies fisheries, as demonstrated experimentally also in other areas of the world. The 34 measures involving technical modifications of fishing gears require significant investments but are 35 technically feasible and could guarantee the success of the conservation.36 37 3 38 Introduction 39The Mediterranean fishing fleet is highly diversified and targeting several species. The 40Mediterranean basin is also considered as a hot spot of biodiversity [1]. Nevertheless, the high 41 fishing effort has resulted in overexploitation of fish resources [2] and in the deterioration of marine 42 ecosystem services [3,4]. The bycatch of protected species, such as cetaceans [5] and sea turtles [6] 43 and top predator species, such as sharks without any economic importance [7] is a consequence of 44 the intense fishing pressure. The solution to reduce the bycatch has become a challenge for fishery 45 scientists as the conservation of species has become a priority for large international organizations. 46 The Habitats Directive [8], for examples, imposed, among others, a conservation policy aimed at 47 reducing the bycatch of species present in the list animals of Annex IV. FAO's International 48 Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards [9] identified management 49 measures necessary to ensure the conservation of ...

show abstract

An interview-based approach to assess sea turtle bycatch in Italian waters

Cited by 39 publications

References 53 publications

Rapid Assessments of Leatherback Small-Scale Fishery Bycatch in Internesting Areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Rapid Assessments of Leatherback Small-Scale Fishery Bycatch in Internesting Areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

Untangling the origin of ghost gear within the Maldivian archipelago and its impact on olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) populations

Bottom trawl catch comparison in the Mediterranean Sea: Flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED)vstraditional gear

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About