Observations of Litter Deposited in the Deep Waters of Isla del Coco National Park, Eastern Tropical Pacific
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| Autores: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | artículo original |
| Fecha de Publicación: | 2018 |
| Beskrivelse: | Marine debris is recognized as a major threat to biodiversity and can be found ubiquitously even in remote regions, including deep-sea environments. Isla del Coco National Park is known as one of the best protected areas around the world, a preferred diving destination, and is also renowned for large aggregations of pelagic species that attract illegal commercial fisheries. Despite its pristine reputation, this study demonstrates that anthropogenic debris can affect this remote and well protected area. Images of marine debris weretakenusingtheDeepSeesubmersible,mainlyplasticlitter from fishing gear were found between 200 and 350m depth. A total of 40 items of debris were found in 5.48%of365dives,60%oftheitemswereplastics,andlocalboatandfishingactivities provided mostoflitter. Our aim with this research is to raise awareness about the potential problem of solid wastes and fishing gear deposited in the deep environments of Isla del CocoNational Park and to explore the potential implications for the ecological integrity of this protected area, including ghost fishing and the possible ingestion of pollutants. These results provide useful management information for the area, especially if one considers the constant pressure of illegal fishing and tourism at Isla del Coco National Park. |
| País: | Kérwá |
| Institution: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Kérwá |
| Sprog: | Inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:kerwa.ucr.ac.cr:10669/103633 |
| Online adgang: | https://hdl.handle.net/10669/103633 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00091 |
| Palabra clave: | submersible research Costa Rica conservation ghost fishing plastics marine protected areas marine debris |