Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

The political biogeography of migratory marine predators

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 2, pages 1571–1578 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Daily locations of marine predators electronically tracked within EEZs and the high seas of the Pacific Ocean.
Fig. 2: Seasonal probability of marine predator occurrence in Pacific Ocean EEZs and the high seas from electronic tracking.
Fig. 3: Population differences in western Pacific leatherback sea turtle use of EEZs and the high seas.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Block, B. A. et al. Tracking apex marine predator movements in a dynamic ocean. Nature 475, 86–90 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Halpern, B. S. et al. A global map of human impact on marine ecosystems. Science 319, 948–952 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tapilatu, R. F. et al. Long-term decline of the western Pacific leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea: a globally important sea turtle population. Ecosphere 4, 1–15 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. 2016 Pacific Bluefin Tuna Stock Assessment: Report of the Pacific Tuna Working Group (International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean, 2016); http://isc.fra.go.jp/pdf/ISC16/ISC16_Annex_09_2016_Pacific_Bluefin_Tuna_Stock_Assessment.pdf

  5. Dulvy, N. K. et al. Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. ELife 3, e00590 (2014).

  6. Croxall, J. P. et al. Seabird conservation status, threats and priority actions: a global assessment. Bird. Conserv. Int. 22, 1–34 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lascelles, B. et al. Migratory marine species: their status, threats and conservation management needs. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 24, 111–127 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Mora, C. et al. Management effectiveness of the world’s marine fisheries. PLoS Biol. 7, e1000131 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cullis-Suzuki, S. & Pauly, D. Failing the high seas: a global evaluation of regional fisheries management organizations. Mar. Policy 34, 1036–1042 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Gilman, E., Passfield, K. & Nakamura, K. Performance of regional fisheries management organizations: ecosystem-based governance of bycatch and discards. Fish Fish. Fish. (Oxf) 15, 327–351 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (United Nations, 1982).

  12. United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks: Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, Relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (United Nations, 1995).

  13. Wood, S. N., Pya, N. & Säfken, B. Smoothing parameter and model selection for general smooth models. J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 111, 1548–1575 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Wood, S. N. Generalized Additive Models: An Introduction with R. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA 2006).

  15. Shaffer, S. A. et al. Migratory shearwaters integrate oceanic resources across the Pacific Ocean in an endless summer. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 103, 12799–12802 (2006).

  16. Weise, M. J., Costa, D. P. & Kudela, R. M. Movement and diving behavior of male California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) during anomalous oceanographic conditions of 2005 compared to those of 2004. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33, L22S10 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lyons, K. et al. The degree and result of gillnet fishery interactions with juvenile white sharks in southern California assessed by fishery-independent and -dependent methods. Fish. Res. 147, 370–380 (2013).

  18. Domeier, M. L. & Nasby-Lucas, N. Migration patterns of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias tagged at Guadalupe Island, Mexico, and identification of an eastern Pacific shared offshore foraging area. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 370, 221–237 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Wallace, B. P., Tiwari, M. & Girondot, M. Dermochelys coriacea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T6494A43526147 (2013); https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T6494A43526147.en

  20. Dutton, P. H. & Squires, D. Reconciling biodiversity with fishing: a holistic strategy for Pacific sea turtle recovery. Ocean Dev. Int. Law 39, 200–222 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Dutton, P. H. & Squires, D. in Conservation of Pacific Sea Turtles (eds Dutton, P. H. et al.) 1–23 (Univ. Hawaii Press, Honolulu, HI, USA, 2011).

  22. Russ, G. R. & Zeller, D. C. From Mare Liberum to Mare Reservarum. Mar. Policy 27, 75–78 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Lubchenco, J. & Grorud-Colvert, K. OCEAN. Making waves: the science and politics of ocean protection. Science 350, 382–383 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cressey, D. Talks aim to tame marine Wild West: nations debate how to protect biodiversity in the high seas.Nature 532, 18–19 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. McCauley, D. J. et al. Ending hide and seek at sea. Science 351, 1148–1150 (2016).

  26. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS, Bonn, Germany, 1979).

  27. Hussey, N. E. et al. Aquatic animal telemetry: a panoramic window into the underwater world. Science 348, 1255642 (2015).

  28. Burger, A. E. & Shaffer, S. A. Application of tracking and data-logging technology in research and conservation of seabirds. Auk 125, 253–264 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Lascelles, B. G. et al. Applying global criteria to tracking data to define important areas for marine conservation. Divers. Distrib. 22, 422–431 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Ogburn, M. B.et al. Addressing challenges in the application of animal movement ecology to aquatic conservation and management. Front. Mar. Sci. 4, 70 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Jonsen, I. D., Flemming, J. M. & Myers, R. A. Robust state–space modeling of animal movement data. Ecology 86, 2874–2880 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Winship, A. J. et al. State–space framework for estimating measurement error from double-tagging telemetry experiments. Methods Ecol. Evol. 3, 291–302 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Shillinger, G. L. et al. Persistent leatherback turtle migrations present opportunities for conservation. PLoS Biol 6, e171 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Benson, S. R. et al. Large-scale movements and high-use areas of western Pacific leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea. Ecosphere 2, 1–27 (2011).

  35. Suryan, R. M. et al. Migratory routes of short-tailed albatrosses: use of exclusive economic zones of North Pacific Rim countries and spatial overlap with commercial fisheries in Alaska. Biol. Conserv. 137, 450–460 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Wood, S. N. Mixed GAM computation vehicle with automatic smoothness estimation v. 1.8-24 (CRAN, 2018); https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/mgcv/mgcv.pdf

Download references

Acknowledgements

This article is a product of the Census of Marine Life Tagging of the TOPP Project. Funding for this work was provided by the Sloan Foundation’s Census of Marine Life programme. TOPP research was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation with additional support from the Office of Naval Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the E&P Sound and Marine Life Joint Industry Programme under contract from the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, donors to the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. A.-L.H. was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) M.R.C. Greenwood Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Environmental Research, a UCSC Graduate Division Dissertation Year Fellowship, the UCSC Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, the UCSC Center for the Dynamics and Evolution of the Land-Sea Interface, the American Cetacean Society, Monterey Bay Chapter, a UCSC Marilyn C. and Raymond E. Davis Memorial Scholarship Professional Development Award, the Institute for Parks at Clemson University, and by the ConocoPhillips Global Signature Programme. We thank the TOPP scientific teams and all those who contributed to tag deployment efforts, including international partners in Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands, the numerous captains and crews who provided ship time and logistical support, the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Hawaii, and many graduate students and undergraduate researchers and volunteers. We thank the TOPP data management team (A. Swithenbank, J.E. Ganong and M. Castleton) and the Future of Marine Animal Populations Project of the Census of Marine Life (FMAP) tracking data modelling and compilation team (I.D. Jonsen and G.A. Breed). Earlier versions of this article were improved by discussions with B. Abrahms, A.M. Boustany, M.H. Carr, M. Dias and P.P. Marra.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Santa Cruz, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Long Marine Laboratory, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Daniel P. Costa, Michelle Antolos & Patrick W. Robinson

  2. Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA

    Autumn-Lynn Harrison

  3. Marine Spatial Ecology Division, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Arliss J. Winship

  4. CSS, Inc., Fairfax, VA, USA

    Arliss J. Winship

  5. Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Moss Landing, CA, USA

    Scott R. Benson

  6. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, USA

    Scott R. Benson

  7. Environmental Research Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Monterey, CA, USA

    Steven J. Bograd

  8. Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA

    Aaron B. Carlisle, George L. Shillinger & Barbara A. Block

  9. University of Delaware, School of Marine Science and Policy, Lewes, DE, USA

    Aaron B. Carlisle

  10. Fisheries Resources Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Heidi Dewar & Suzanne Kohin

  11. Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Peter H. Dutton

  12. Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA, USA

    Salvador J. Jorgensen

  13. Oregon State University, Marine Mammal Institute, Fisheries & Wildlife, Newport, OR, USA

    Bruce R. Mate

  14. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Kurt M. Schaefer

  15. San Jose State University, Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose, CA, USA

    Scott A. Shaffer

  16. The Ocean Foundation, The Lost Years—Pelagic Life History Fund, Monterey, CA, USA

    George L. Shillinger

  17. Upwell, Monterey, CA, USA

    George L. Shillinger

  18. Marine Mammal Commission, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Samantha E. Simmons

  19. Fisheries Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science College of William & Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, USA

    Kevin C. Weng

  20. IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Kristina M. Gjerde

Authors
  1. Autumn-Lynn Harrison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Daniel P. Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Arliss J. Winship
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Scott R. Benson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Steven J. Bograd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Michelle Antolos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Aaron B. Carlisle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Heidi Dewar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Peter H. Dutton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Salvador J. Jorgensen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Suzanne Kohin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Bruce R. Mate
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Patrick W. Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Kurt M. Schaefer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Scott A. Shaffer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. George L. Shillinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Samantha E. Simmons
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Kevin C. Weng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  19. Kristina M. Gjerde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  20. Barbara A. Block
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

This study was conceived by A.-L.H. The TOPP project was designed and coordinated by B.A.B., D.P.C. and S.J.B. B.A.B., A.B.C., H.D., S.J.J., S.K., K.M.S., G.L.S and K.C.W. designed the experiments and deployed the electronic tags on fish and sharks. S.R.B., P.H.D., G.L.S. and B.A.B., designed the experiments and deployed the electronic tags on leatherback sea turtles. D.P.C., P.W.R., S.E.S. and B.R.M. designed the experiments and deployed the electronic tags on marine mammals. S.A.S. and M.A. designed the experiments and deployed the electronic tags on seabirds. Analyses were conducted by A.-L.H. and A.J.W. Figures were created by A.-L.H. The manuscript was drafted by A.-L.H. and edited by D.P.C., A.J.W., S.R.B., S.J.B., A.B.C., H.D., P.H.D, S.J.J., M.A., S.K., S.A.S., K.M.S., G.L.S., S.E.S., K.C.W. and B.A.B.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Autumn-Lynn Harrison.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Kristina Gjerde is an unpaid member of the Sargasso Sea Project, Inc. Board, the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative Scientific Steering Committee, the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative Executive Board, the High Seas Alliance Steering Committee, and the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy Scientific Steering Committee.

Additional information

Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figures 1–10; Supplementary Tables 1–5; Supplementary References

Reporting Summary

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Harrison, AL., Costa, D.P., Winship, A.J. et al. The political biogeography of migratory marine predators. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 1571–1578 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0646-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0646-8

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing