From objectives and scope of work: The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive review of the biology and population status of sea turtles potentially subject to entanglement in North Pacific high-seas driftnet fisheries. The report will assist National Marine Fisheries Service efforts to assess the impacts of the driftnet fisheries on threatened and endangered sea turtle populations.

Abstract: A modern adaptation of an old fishing technique is gaining recognition in the Pacific and elsewhere as an effective means to increase fishing productivity in the open sea. The use of man-made, free-floating, and anchored floating devices to aggregate pelagic fishes for subsistence, recreational and commercial fishing has increased markedly in recent years; estimates of deployed and planned units exceed 1,000. These devices have been anchored in depths ranging from several hundred to several thousand fathoms. This report reviews the development and present use of fish aggregating devices in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.