1. Fish aggregating devices (FADs) are floating objects that facilitate the aggregation of fish; those that aggregate pelagic species such as tunas are of particular interest for artisanal and industrial fisheries.
2. Due to the increasing use of these devices worldwide, bodies responsible for the administration and management of fishery resources have proposed control and surveillance activities focused on the use of such devices. To achieve this, it is essential to have access to quality information, which is usually obtained through on-board observer programmes such as the Colombian Fisheries Observer Program.
3. Based on the historical records of this programme, and for the first time, the spatial–temporal distribution of the FADs in the eastern tropical sector of the Eastern Pacific Ocean is presented, analysing 166 records of tuna fishing operations carried out between 2009 and 2015. Of the 2,328 sets identified in the records, 957 corresponded to sets on FADs, of which 80.56% were effective and caught 12,246 tons of tuna.
4. The number of sets of FADs increased over time, representing approximately 86.9% of the sets recorded in 2015, compared to 4.8% of this type of set recorded in 2009, with the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor being the area of greatest concentration of sets.
5. Considering that the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor was designed to promote the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, this study highlights the need to include as a research priority, the potential effect that aggregation devices may have on the biological connectivity processes present in the corridor, as well as on the dynamics of large pelagic fish populations of commercial interest.
6. In terms of management of FADs, it is recommended that a precautionary approach be adopted and that regulations related to the maximum number of FADs per vessel be adjusted according to their Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission class, in addition to assigning a maximum number of sets per vessel.

中文翻译：

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根据哥伦比亚渔业观察计划，东热带太平洋海洋走廊的鱼类聚集装置

1. 鱼聚集装置 (FAD) 是促进鱼聚集的漂浮物；那些聚集了金枪鱼等远洋物种的鱼类对手工和工业渔业特别感兴趣。
2. 由于这些设备在世界范围内的使用越来越多，负责渔业资源管理的机构提出了针对此类设备使用的控制和监视活动。为实现这一目标，获得高质量信息至关重要，这些信息通常通过哥伦比亚渔业观察员计划等船上观察员计划获得。
3. 基于该计划的历史记录，首次展示了东太平洋东部热带地区 FAD 的时空分布，分析了 2009 年至 2015 年间进行的 166 条金枪鱼捕捞作业记录。在记录中确定的 2,328 套中，957 套与 FAD 相关，其中 80.56% 有效，捕获了 12,246 吨金枪鱼。
4. FAD 的组数随着时间的推移而增加，约占 2015 年记录的组的 86.9%，而 2009 年记录的此类组为 4.8%，其中东热带太平洋海洋走廊是组的最集中区域。
5. 考虑到东热带太平洋海洋走廊旨在促进东热带太平洋生物多样性的保护和可持续利用，本研究强调需要将聚合设备可能对生物连通性产生的潜在影响列为研究重点走廊中存在的过程，以及具有商业利益的大型远洋鱼类种群的动态。
6. 在FADs的管理方面，建议采取预防措施，并根据美洲热带金枪鱼委员会的等级调整每艘船FADs最大数量的相关规定，除了分配最大数量每艘船。