Potential exposure of loggerhead turtles to pelagic longliners constrains dynamic spatial avoidance in the western Indian Ocean

Researchers assessed overlap between loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) foraging habitats with pelagic longline fisheries across the western Indian Ocean from 2017-2020.  Loggerhead foraging habitats varied regionally and seasonally, as did overlap with longlining, however, overall, a large proportion of fishing effort occurred well inside core foraging habitats. This indicates that effective spatial avoidance would require displacing fishing activity far beyond habitat boundaries. Dynamic spatial management may more effectively reduce turtle-fishery overlap.