Work

Global impacts of drifting fish aggregating devices on marine protected areas

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Protected areas are a critical component of efforts to reverse biodiversity loss by 2050. In the ocean, free-drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) are released in large numbers by industrial purse seine fishing companies to help catch tuna. These devices can enter marine protected areas (MPAs) undetected, potentially leading to wildlife entanglement, plastic pollution, and habitat degradation. Here we investigate processes by which dFADs may compromise MPA objectives and assess the burden they put on existing MPAs. By analyzing drift, strandings, and expert interview data, we show that dFADs have likely interacted with 53% of the global MPA network by area and stranded in 174 protected areas, which are home to at least 490 at-risk species. While recent improvements to dFAD design should reduce harm to wildlife, our findings suggest that improved regulation, transparency, and industry accountability are required to mitigate additional effects on MPAs, especially around documented hotspots in the central Pacific, western Indian Ocean, and Caribbean.

Source: Science Advances

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aee6998

Authors: Laurenne Schiller, Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez, John Lynham, Boris Worm

Institutions: Dalhousie University, University of Miami, Frost Institute for Data Science & Computing, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Language: English

Topic: Marine and fisheries research

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,500