GIS modeling of potential marine protected areas in the Northwest Atlantic via biological and socioeconomic parameters
Overfishing of our national marine resources has degraded some of the most productive fishing regions in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, most notably the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. These regions may have shifted from productive trophic regimes to a less than optimal state therefore reducing fishe...
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| Other Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Master Thesis |
| Language: | English unknown |
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Oregon State University
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| Online Access: | https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/9z903193w |
| Summary: | Overfishing of our national marine resources has degraded some of the most productive fishing regions in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, most notably the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. These regions may have shifted from productive trophic regimes to a less than optimal state therefore reducing fishers’ catches and associated revenue from commercially targeted species (Sinclair and Murawski, 1997, Jennings et al, 2001). Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been offered as an effective management tool to preserve biodiversity, enhance commercial fisheries, and protect against poor decisions in fisheries management (Bohnsack, 1999). Geographic information systems (GIS) bring together the fields of geography and fisheries management to help build a better understanding of the spatial interactions of complex marine environments (e.g., Kracker, 1999). Using GIS and spatial management such as MPAs can help fishery managers conserve and improve the population status of important biological resources while helping to preserve commercial fishing, an important social and political industry in New England. Incorporating the needs of stakeholders in management decisions is necessary in order to implement an effective fisheries management strategy (e.g., Malakoff, 2002). This study used a weighted optimization raster model in a GIS to compare biological significant regions, which were composed of biodiversity estimates and spawning and juvenile habitats, to important commercial fishing grounds in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. Biodiversity, spawning and juvenile data values were derived from fishery independent data collected by 2 the National Marine Fisheries Service in Woods Hole, MA. The essential commercial fishing zones were created from Vessel Trip Reports, which are derived directly from reports sent in by federally permitted fishers. The weighted model compares the biologically important resources from an area, or cell, to the level of commercial fishing occurring in the same cell using simple mathematically ... |
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