Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2018

Publication Title

Nature Ecology & Evolution

Volume

2

First Page

1571

Last Page

1578

DOI

10.1038/s41559-018-0646-8

ISSN

2397-334X

Disciplines

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Marine Biology | Other Geography

Abstract

During their migrations, marine predators experience varying levels of protection and face many threats as they travel through multiple countries’ jurisdictions and across ocean basins. Some populations are declining rapidly. Contributing to such declines is a failure of some international agreements to ensure effective cooperation by the stakeholders responsible for managing species throughout their ranges, including in the high seas, a global commons. Here we use biologging data from marine predators to provide quantitative measures with great potential to inform local, national and international management efforts in the Pacific Ocean. We synthesized a large tracking data set to show how the movements and migratory phenology of 1,648 individuals representing 14 species—from leatherback turtles to white sharks—relate to the geopolitical boundaries of the Pacific Ocean throughout species’ annual cycles. Cumulatively, these species visited 86% of Pacific Ocean countries and some spent three-quarters of their annual cycles in the high seas. With our results, we offer answers to questions posed when designing international strategies for managing migratory species.

Comments

This is the Preprint of an article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, volume 2, pages 1571–1578 (2018). The Version of Record is available at this link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0646-8.

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