Residency and reproductive status of yellowfin tuna in a proposed large-scale pelagic marine protected area

Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted 20 targets, known as the Aichi Targets, to benchmark progress towards protecting biodiversity. These targets include Target 11 relating to Marine Protected Area coverage and the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the accepted international database for tracking national commitments to this target. However, measuring national progress towards conservation targets relies on sound data. This paper highlights the large-scale misrepresentation, by up to two orders of magnitude, of national marine protected area coverage from two Pacific Island nations in multiple online databases and subsequent reports, including conclusions regarding achievements of Aichi 11 commitments. It recommends that for the target driven approach to have value, users of the WDPA data should carefully consider its caveats before using their raw data and that countries should strive for a greater degree of accountability. Lastly it also concludes that protected area coverage may not be the best approach to environmental sustainability and that the remaining 19 targets should be considered to a greater extent.

Download Full-text

Individual variation in residency and regional movements of reef manta rays Mobula alfredi in a large marine protected area

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13270 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 639 ◽

pp. 137-153 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

S Andrzejaczek ◽

TK Chapple ◽

DJ Curnick ◽

AB Carlisle ◽

M Castleton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Variation ◽

Protected Area ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Large Scale ◽

Time Series Data ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Series Data ◽

Large Individual

Mobulid populations are declining on a global scale as a result of both targeted fisheries and indirect anthropogenic threats. In order to implement effective conservation strategies for species of this taxa, it is crucial that movement patterns at a range of spatiotemporal scales are defined. To gain insight into such patterns, we deployed a combination of acoustic (n = 21) and satellite (n = 12) tags on reef manta rays Mobula alfredi in the British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area (BIOT MPA) annually from 2013 through 2016. An extensive array of acoustic receivers (n = 52) were deployed across the archipelago to record the movements of mantas throughout the MPA. Data revealed large individual variation in horizontal movement patterns, ranging from high local site fidelity (<10 km) for up to 3 yr, to large-scale regional movements (>200 km) around the entire MPA. Depth time-series data recorded vertical movement patterns consistent with other epipelagic elasmobranch species, including oscillatory diving and deep dives to greater than 500 m. Though no individuals were directly recorded departing the MPA throughout the study, the gaps in detections and estimated travel speeds documented here indicate that movement of individuals outside of the BIOT MPA cannot be discounted. Collectively, our data suggests that, with effective enforcement, the current size of the BIOT MPA is providing substantial protection to its reef manta ray population. Characterization of movement patterns across ontogenetic classes, however, is required to fully characterize the spatial ecology of this species and ensure protection across all cohorts of the population.

Download Full-text

Effects of a large-scale and offshore marine protected area on the demersal fish assemblage in the Southwest Atlantic

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fss166 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 123-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Daniela Alemany ◽

Oscar O. Iribarne ◽

Eduardo M. Acha

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblage ◽

Protected Area ◽

Large Scale ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Demersal Fish ◽

Fishing Effort ◽

Fish Assemblage Structure ◽

Target Species ◽

Southwest Atlantic ◽

Before And After

Abstract Alemany, D., Iribarne, O. O., and Acha, E. M. 2013. Effects of a large-scale and offshore marine protected area on the demersal fish assemblage in the Southwest Atlantic. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70:123–134. There are few extensive and offshore located marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world oceans and their performance is still being debated. We evaluated the effects of a large-scale offshore MPA located on the Southwest Atlantic Patagonian Shelf (43°S 63°W) on the demersal fish assemblage. Compliance of the Patagonian MPA was assessed by analysing eight years of satellite vessel monitoring system (VMS; 2000–2008) data, which showed compliance and fishing effort concentrated near the protection boundaries. MPA effects were studied by employing a five year database collected by a scientific research vessel in protected and fishing locations, before and after the MPA establishment. We assessed 152 scientific trawling stations using multivariate analysis of fish assemblage structure, fish abundance (discriminating target and non-target species), and mean size and proportion of juveniles of the target species (Argentine hake, Merluccius hubbsi). The identified MPA effects were a trend towards increasing abundance of the demersal fish assemblage, the target and non-target fish species, and hake juvenile size, and a higher proportion of juveniles aged 2+ inside the MPA. These positive trends support the case for offshore, large-scale MPAs.

Download Full-text