Reserve effect of a small North-East Atlantic marine protected area (Arrabida, Portugal) on soft-sediment fish species
The implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs) has been widely used as a tool to manage and conserve marine resources and services. Yet, to date, the reserve effect is still weakly evaluated, particularly for soft-sediment habitats. The Arrabida MPA, considered as a biodiversity hotspot, was fu...
| Published in: | Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
WILEY
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/16995 https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3577 |
| Summary: | The implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs) has been widely used as a tool to manage and conserve marine resources and services. Yet, to date, the reserve effect is still weakly evaluated, particularly for soft-sediment habitats. The Arrabida MPA, considered as a biodiversity hotspot, was fully established in 2009 on the west coast of Portugal and is characterized by large expanses of soft-sediment habitats. This MPA was established to protect biodiversity and to ensure the livelihood of the local small-scale fisheries community. Beyond before-after-control-impact (BACI) analyses were carried out on catch data (abundance and biomass) of 351 trammel net sets from experimental fishing campaigns (2007-2019) to study the reserve effect on demersal fish populations. The results show a declining trend in abundance inside and outside the protected area, with significant positive effects only found for undersize commercial species and Solea senegalensis, and a general increase in fish species total length. Despite the lack of any obvious reserve effect, the increase in fish length can be considered as a first sign. Anthropogenic pressures are generalized around the area, and transgressions of the restrictions are frequently observed inside the no-take zone. These can, among other aspects, delay or prevent the expected reserve effects. Therefore, enforcement and/or modification of the spatial plan must be incentivized to achieve the goals of the MPA. Fundacao para a Ciencia e a TecnologiaPortuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyEuropean Commission [DL 57/2016/CP1361/CT0036, UID/Multi/04326/2020]; LIFE programme [LIFE06 NAT/P/000192]; POSEUR [POSEUR-03-2215-FC000047] info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
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