scholarly journals Larval abundances of rockfishes that were historically targeted by fishing increased over 16 years in association with a large marine protected area

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 170639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew R. Thompson ◽  
Dustin C. Chen ◽  
Lian W. Guo ◽  
John R. Hyde ◽  
William Watson

Marine protected areas (MPAs) can facilitate recovery of diminished stocks by protecting reproductive adults. To effectively augment fisheries, however, reproductive output must increase within the bounds of MPAs so that larvae can be exported to surrounding areas and seed the region. In response to dramatic declines of rockfishes ( Sebastes spp.) in southern California by the late 1990s two large MPAs, the Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs), were established in 2001. To evaluate whether the CCAs affected rockfish productivity we evaluated the dynamics of 8 species that were, and 7 that were not, historically targeted by fishing. Abundances of 6/8 targeted and 4/7 non-targeted species increased regionally from 1998 to 2013. These upturns were probably affected by environmental conditions in addition to changes in fishing pressure as the presence of most species correlated negatively with temperature, and temperature was lower than the historic average in 11/15 years. Seventy-five per cent of the targeted, but none of the non-targeted species increased at a greater rate inside than outside the CCAs while controlling for environmental factors. Results indicate that management actions, coupled with favourable environmental conditions, facilitated the resurgence of multiple rockfish species that were targeted by intense fishing effort for decades.

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Mark Westera

Guidelines to marine protected areas is a collation of efforts from the IUCN, NOAA and Cardiff University, among others. It is aimed at managers and would be managers of marine parks, but will also be of use to anyone involved in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) process from conceptual planning to establishment, monitoring and management. Its broad application takes into account the hurdles that a manager is likely to encounter. There are nine sections, an introduction, an evaluation of the legal framework required to successfully establish MPAs, a discussion on dealing with all the relevant parties, involving communities and other stakeholders, site selection, planning and managing MPAs, zoning, evaluating economic aspect and financial sustainability, and finally a section on research, monitoring and review. Boxes are used throughout the text within each chapter to summarize important points and make for quick reference to the topic of that chapter.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Haggarty ◽  
Steve J.D. Martell ◽  
Jonathan B. Shurin

Compliance with spatial fishing regulations (e.g., marine protected areas, fishing closures) is one of the most important, yet rarely measured, determinants of ecological recovery. We used aerial observations of recreational fishing events from creel surveys before, during, and after 77 Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) were established in British Columbia, Canada. There was no evidence of a change in fishing effort in 83% of the RCAs, and effort in five RCAs increased after establishment. Fishing effort in open areas adjacent to the RCAs declined with time and was higher than effort in the RCAs in all 3 years. Next, we used compliance data for 105 RCAs around Vancouver Island to model the drivers of compliance. Compliance was related to the level of fishing effort around the RCA, the size and perimeter-to-area ratio of RCAs, proximity to fishing lodges, and the level of enforcement. Noncompliance in RCAs may be hampering their effectiveness and impeding rockfish recovery. Education and enforcement efforts to reduce fishing effort inside protected areas are critical to the recovery of depleted fish stocks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-855
Author(s):  
Mariano J. Aznar

Abstract Spain has just declared a new marine protected area in the Mediterranean. This follows a protective trend taken by Spanish authorities during the last decades and has permitted Spain to honour its international compromises under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It contributes to a framework of protected areas established under conventional regimes such as OSPAR, RAMSAR or EU Natura 2000. The new area protects a ‘cetacean corridor’ and will be inscribed in the list of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance under the Barcelona Convention regional framework.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Campbell ◽  
A. Mukminin ◽  
T. Kartawijaya ◽  
C. Huchery ◽  
J. E. Cinner

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo J. Clarke ◽  
Luciana S. Esteves ◽  
Richard A. Stillman ◽  
Roger J.H. Herbert

Understanding the impact of bottom-fishing gears at various scales and intensities on habitats and species is necessary to inform management. In Poole Harbour, UK, a multiple use marine protected area, fishermen utilise a unique ̋“pump-scoop” dredge to harvest the introduced Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum. Managers need to balance the socio-economic benefits of the fishery with ecological concerns across the region, which has required a revision of by-laws that include both spatial and temporal measures. Within an operational fishery, we used a Before-After-Control-Impact sampling design to assess the impacts of pump-scoop dredging on benthic physical characteristics and community structure in an area where there was no dredging, an area newly opened to dredging and an area subject to high levels of historic dredging. A sampling grid was used in each area to best capture any fishing effort in the newly opened area. Core samples were taken to a depth of 30 cm within intertidal mudflats. A significant loss of fine sediments was observed in the site subject to high intensity dredging and a significant change in community structure also occurred in both dredged sites throughout the study period. In the newly opened site this was characterised by a relative increase in species richness, including increased abundance of annelid worms, notably Hediste diversicolor and Aphelochaeta marioni and a decline in the abundance of the bivalve mollusc Abra tenuis. These changes, albeit relatively small, are attributed to physical disturbance as a direct result of pump-scoop dredging, although no difference in the classification of the biotope of the site was observed. This is of particular interest to managers monitoring site condition within areas under the new by-laws as the Manila clam is spreading to other protected estuaries in the region.


2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Luna ◽  
Carlos Valle Pérez ◽  
Jose Luis Sánchez-Lizaso

Abstract Luna, B., Valle Pérez, C., and Sánchez-Lizaso, J. L. 2009. Benthic impacts of recreational divers in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 517–523. The features of many Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have increased scuba diving tourism in these areas. Impacts caused by recreational scuba activity vary widely among different divers with differing underwater behaviour. We studied diver underwater behaviour, the effects on the natural environment, and the characteristics that may influence diver behaviour. In all, 181 recreational divers were followed, and contacts and the effects produced were recorded. Information on diver profile and dive features was recorded. Field sampling revealed that 175 of the divers observed (96.7%) made at least one contact with the seabed, with a mean contact of 41.20 ± 3.55 (mean ± s.e.) per diver per 10 min. Flapping was the most frequent type of contact, and the main damage by this action was to raise sediment. Contact with the seabed was greater for males than for females, inexperienced divers than for experienced divers, camera or lantern (dive light) users than for non-users, and divers unaccompanied by a dive leader or who had not been briefed about avoiding seabed contact before undertaking a dive than for accompanied or briefed divers. A greater understanding of the causes of harmful behaviour may be useful for stricter management, reducing diving damage and assuring the sustainability of this activity in MPAs.


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