Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3n5tb2rwt

Description of the data and file structure

All data used in these analyses originated from existing peer-reviewed and grey literature, as well as an expert survey distributed in 2024. All sources used to estimate the number of drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) stranded in each marine protected area (MPA) and the methods for aggregating and analyzing these data are provided in the Supplementary Materials of the associated paper. As part of our Dryad submission, we also provide a list of sources with the at-risk species information used in our analysis. The CSV files provided here summarize this information, which we used to generate the figures in the associated publication.

Files and variables

File: Species_list_references.pdf

Description: This file provides a list of the peer-reviewed and grey literature sources use to identify at-risk marine associated species found in each MPA and shark sanctuary with strandings listed in the file mpa_spp.csv.

File: mpa_spp.csv

Description: This file provides a list of all at-risk marine associated species found in each MPA and shark sanctuary with strandings identified. We define 'at-risk' species as wildlife listed as 'Critically Endangered', 'Endangered' or 'Vulnerable' on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (v. 2025-1). We define 'marine associated' as species that live in the ocean or which rely on the adjacent shoreline for nesting. To avoid double counting, we used the English name provided by the IUCN Red List in cases where there was disagreement with a source (i.e., different English name but same Latin name). We also used the most recent scientific name provided by the IUCN for some species where taxonomic adjustments have been made over time (mostly corals).

Additional details related to classification of species and methodology are available in the supplement of the primary article.

Variables

• mpa: name of the marine protected area (as listed by the World Database on Protected Areas)

• ocean: ocean in which the MPA is found

• area_type: type of protected area ('Marine Protected Areas', 'Terrestrial and Inland Waters Protected Areas' or 'Shark sanctuary')

• species_common: English name of the species

• species_latin: scientific name of the species

• taxon: taxonomic group of the species (categories chosen by the authors for analytical purposes)

• iucn_status: the IUCN Red List classification of the species (CR = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable)

• score: numeric value associated with each Red List classification (where 3 = CR, 2 = EN, 1 =VU)

  
  

File: mpa_attributes.csv

Description: This file provides the number of total drifting fish aggregating device (dFAD) strandings estimated for each identified marine protected area (MPA) and terrestrial and inland waters protected area (TIWPA) and uses a binary system to identify attributes related to three aspects of its location and function: (i) biodiversity, (ii) fishing regulations, and (iii) access limitations. All attributes were scored using a binary approach (1= ‘yes’/’present’, 0 = no’/’absent’) based on information from available primary and grey literature as well as government and non-governmental organization (NGO) websites.

To determine the protected area category, we first relied on its classification through the IUCN and only used Protected Seas (https://protectedseas.net/) if IUCN information was unavailable. For marine-specific characteristics such as fishing prohibitions and the presence of sensitive marine habitats such as coral reefs, we only collected information for MPAs (not TWIPAs) since the area of the latter extend only to the shoreline. All sources and methodology used to determine the number of dFAD strandings in each identifed MPA are listed in the supplement of the primary article.

Please note that we only gathered attribute information for the 161 MPAs and TIWPAs with identified strandings and did not include the 13 identified shark sanctuaries in this part of the analysis. 

Variables

• wpda_id: unique protected area identifier from the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA;  (https://www.protectedplanet.net/)
• mpa_name: protected area name (as listed by the WDPA)
• country: name of country in which protected area is found 
• dfad_track_n: number of dFADs stranded in protected area inferred from buoy tracks
• dfad_obs_n: number of dFADs stranded in protected area inferred from observational data (note: '≥' used for data from surveys and in cases from the literature where observation(s) exist but no value was available)
  ; 'n/a' = no observational data available
• dfad_total_n: total number of dFAD strandings estimated from observational and track data ('≥' removed for calculation purposes)
• sids: '1' = country listed as a Small Island Developing State by the United Nations, '0' = country not listed as a Small Island Developing State
• source_type: data source for dFAD stranding number
• iucn_cat: the protected area category as determined by the IUCN ('n/a' = no category provided)
• ps_cat:the protected area category as determined by Protected Seas (https://protectedseas.net/; 'n/a' = Not applicable since IUCN category provided)
• no take: '1' = the protected area prohibits all forms of extraction, '0' = the protected area does not prohibit all forms of extraction , 'n/a' = the protected area is not marine (i.e. it is a TIWPA)
• fishing_prohibited: '1' = the protected area prohibits all types of fishing, '0' = the protected area does not prohibit all types of fishing, 'n/a' = the protected area is not marine (i.e. it is a TIWPA)
• industrial_prohibited: '1' = the protected area prohibits industrial fishing, '0' = the protected area does not prohibit industrial fishing, 'n/a' = the protected area is not marine (i.e. it is a TIWPA)
• dfad_prohibited: '1' = the exclusive economic zone in which the protected area is found prohibits the use of dFADs, '0' = the exclusive economic zone in which the protected area is found permits the use of dFADs
• uninhabited_island: '1' = the protected area is found adjacent to an uninhabited island (i.e., no permanent residents), '0' = is not found adjacent to an uninhabited island
• access_restricted: '1' = permits or tickets are required for the public to access to the protected area or visitation is strictly controlled, '0' = there are no controls to limit public access to the protected area
• atrisk_spp: '1' = the protected area includes at-risk species (i.e., those species classified as 'Critically Endangered', 'Endangered', or 'Vulnerable' by the IUCN Red List, v. 2025-01), '0' = the protected area does not include any at-risk species
• nesting_spp: '1' = birds or reptiles nest on the shoreline/beach of the protected area, 'O' = no birds or reptiles nest in the protected area
• endemic_spp: '1' = the protected area includes species that are locally endemic, '0' = the protected area does not include any locally endemic species
• sensitive_habitat: '1' = the protected area includes coral reefs or seagrass beds, '0' = the protected area does not include coral reefs or seagrass beds, 'n/a' = the protected area is not marine (i.e. it is a TIWPA)## Access information

Other publicly accessible locations of the data:

• N/A

Data was derived from the following sources:

• N/A