The data

in this paper were previously reported to the NOAA Marine Debris Program at the end of grants, but many of these findings are not available within the peer-reviewed literature. Thus, this synthesis brings all the data together to gain a broader understanding of the scope of the DFT problem and ensures these data are available in the peer-reviewed literature. The main questions we address are: (1) How many DFTs exist in each fishery and what this website is their spatial distribution? and (2) What are DFT impacts to fishermen, target and non-target organisms, and habitat? Based on the synthesis of all seven studies, we determined that there is a need to develop a DFT management strategy. We propose an initial strategy that will help inform the science, policy, and management of DFTs at the local, state, and federal level. Our strategy includes (1) targeting studies to estimate mortality of fishery stocks, (2) integrating social science research with targeted ecological research, (3) involving the fishing industry in collaborative projects to develop solutions to ghost fishing, and (4) examining the regional context and challenges resulting in DFTs to find effective policy solutions. In this paper, we compare the methods and results of seven studies (Fig. 1) focused on derelict trap debris resulting

from both commercial and recreational fishing. This field of research is developing, and data collection using common metrics proved difficult. The studies reported here are some of the RG7204 purchase first in the United States to take a systematic approach to understand the extent of the derelict fishing trap issue. Estimating mortality caused by derelict gear remains challenging and thus economic impact is even more difficult to reliably estimate. For each study, the amount of DFTs present in the fishery was assessed. The studies used multiple techniques to determine the quantity of trap debris, which are fully described in Table 1. Generally, researchers found that visible detection by cameras ROCK inhibitor or divers

worked well in high visibility conditions (shallow and clear water), while sonar was most adaptable to wide ranges of depth and visibility conditions outside of reef or highly variable substrate types. Most studies chose to stratify the study area by the level of commercial fishing effort, and included this variable in subsequent analysis. Ghost fishing and habitat impact assessments were conducted based on study objectives. A mixture of in-situ assessment methods were used by various investigators; for example, divers assessed catch contained in ghost pots (Maselko et al., 2013) and researchers used field experiments to simulate and evaluate the effects of derelict fishing traps on target species and habitat (Clark et al., 2012 and Havens et al., 2008). Because each study was designed to address specific regional challenges associated with DFTs, the focus of each study varied.