• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2005
• Subjects: abundance; closed areas; fish community; fishing effort; mean size; species diversity; species richness; Digranesflak; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.575.9493; http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/63/5/897.full.pdf

ow nloaded from for periods before and after the closure (and also after the re-opening in Breiddalsgrunn), using an ANOVA model and planned comparisons. The closure had a favourable impact on abundance of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and small long rough dab (Hippo-glossoides platessoides) in Digranesflak, and on exploitable sizes of haddock and cod (Gadus morhua) in Breiddalsgrunn. The mean size of haddock increased considerably within the protected areas relative to the reference areas: by 16 cm in Digranesflak and by 10 cm in Breiddalsgrunn. Species richness, diversity, and composition varied over the study period and between areas, but no effect of area closure was found. The observed changes in the fish community in Breiddalsgrunn were reversed within 7 years of the re-opening of the area to fishing. The possible causes for the observed patterns of response to area closures are discussed.