Evidence that spillover from Marine Protected Areas benefits the spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fishery in southern California

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designed to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Some MPAs are also established to benefit fisheries through increased egg and larval production, or the spillover of mobile juveniles and adults. Whether spillover influences fishery landings depend on the pop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-01, Vol.11 (1), p.2663-2663, Article 2663
Main Authors: Lenihan, Hunter S., Gallagher, Jordan P., Peters, Joseph R., Stier, Adrian C., Hofmeister, Jennifer K. K., Reed, Daniel C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Animals
Biodiversity
California
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem services
Fisheries
Fishing
Fishing zones
Humanities and Social Sciences
Marine ecosystems
Marine protected areas
multidisciplinary
Palinuridae - physiology
Panulirus interruptus
Population status
Protected areas
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Shellfish
Sustainable fisheries
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Summary:Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designed to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Some MPAs are also established to benefit fisheries through increased egg and larval production, or the spillover of mobile juveniles and adults. Whether spillover influences fishery landings depend on the population status and movement patterns of target species both inside and outside of MPAs, as well as the status of the fishery and behavior of the fleet. We tested whether an increase in the lobster population inside two newly established MPAs influenced local catch, fishing effort, and catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) within the sustainable California spiny lobster fishery. We found greater build-up of lobsters within MPAs relative to unprotected areas, and greater increases in fishing effort and total lobster catch, but not CPUE, in fishing zones containing MPAs vs. those without MPAs. Our results show that a 35% reduction in fishing area resulting from MPA designation was compensated for by a 225% increase in total catch after 6-years, thus indicating at a local scale that the trade-off of fishing ground for no-fishing zones benefitted the fishery.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-82371-5