Duncan Emily M, Vieira Nina, González-Irusta José Manuel, Dominguez-Carrió Carlos, Morato Telmo, Carreiro-Silva Marina, Jakobsen Joachim, Jakobsen Kirsten, Porteiro Filipe, Schläpfer Nina, Herrera Laura, Ramos Manuela, Rodríguez Yasmina, Pereira João M, Fauconnet Laurence, Rodrigues Luís, Parra Hugo, Pham Christopher K
Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar - OKEANOS, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal.
Centro Oceanográfico de Santander, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Santander, Spain.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 20;900:166579. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166579. Epub 2023 Aug 29.
Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), represents a significant percentage of the global plastic pollution, currently considered one of the major sources from sea-based activities. However, there is still limited understanding of the quantities of ALDFG present on the seafloor and their impacts. In this study, data on the presence of ALDFG was obtained from a large archive of seafloor video footage (351 dives) collected by different imaging platforms in the Azores region over 15 years (2006-2020). Most ALDFG items observed in the images relate to the local bottom longline fishery operating in the region, and include longlines but also anchors, weights, cables and buoys. A generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) was used to predict the distribution and abundance of ALDFG over the seafloor within the limits of the Azores Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using a suite of environmental and anthropogenic variables. We estimated an average of 113 ± 310 items km (597 ± 756 per km above 1000 m depth), which could imply that over 20 million ALDFG items are present on the deep seafloor of the Azores EEZ. The resulting model identified potential hotspots of ALDFG along the seabed, some of them located over sensitive benthic habitats, such as specific seamounts. In addition, the interactions between ALDFG and benthic organisms were also analysed. Numerous entanglements were observed with several species of large anthozoans and sponges. The use of predictive distribution modelling for ALDFG should be regarded as a useful tool to support ecosystem-based management, which can provide indirect information about fishing pressure and allow the identification of potential high-risk areas. Additional knowledge about the sources, amounts, fates and impacts of ALDFG will be key to address the global issue of plastic pollution and the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems.
废弃、丢失或丢弃的渔具（ALDFG）在全球塑料污染中占比显著，目前被视为海洋活动的主要污染源之一。然而，人们对海底存在的ALDFG数量及其影响的了解仍然有限。在本研究中，关于ALDFG存在情况的数据来自一个大型海底视频档案库（351次潜水），该档案库是在15年（2006 - 2020年）期间由亚速尔群岛地区不同成像平台收集的。图像中观察到的大多数ALDFG物品与该地区当地的底层延绳钓渔业有关，包括延绳，还有锚、配重、缆绳和浮标。使用广义相加混合模型（GAMM），利用一系列环境和人为变量，预测了亚速尔群岛专属经济区（EEZ）范围内海底ALDFG的分布和丰度。我们估计平均每平方公里有113 ± 310个物品（在深度超过1000米的区域每公里有597 ± 756个），这可能意味着亚速尔群岛EEZ的深海海底存在超过2000万个ALDFG物品。所得模型确定了海底ALDFG的潜在热点区域，其中一些位于敏感的底栖生境之上，如特定的海山。此外，还分析了ALDFG与底栖生物之间的相互作用。观察到许多大型珊瑚虫和海绵物种被缠住。对ALDFG使用预测分布模型应被视为支持基于生态系统管理的有用工具，它可以提供有关捕捞压力的间接信息，并有助于识别潜在的高风险区域。关于ALDFG的来源、数量、归宿和影响的更多知识将是解决全球塑料污染问题以及捕捞对海洋生态系统影响的关键。
