Fisheries Economics & Policy: Marine Protected Areas
Summary
TLDRMarine protected areas (MPAs) are designated zones in oceans or lakes where human activity is limited to conserve marine life. These areas can restrict fishing, gear use, or even travel, and can be temporary or permanent. Studies show that MPAs increase fish biomass, size, and diversity, with benefits extending beyond their boundaries. They enhance coral resilience by protecting fish that eat coral's competitors. Planning MPAs involves considering factors like fish movement, life stages, and the impact on fishing communities. The goal is to balance ecological benefits with the needs of fishermen, often involving community input in decision-making.
Takeaways
- 🚫 **Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)** are designated regions in oceans or lakes where human activities are restricted to protect marine life.
- 🐟 **Increased Fish Biomass**: Studies show MPAs can increase fish biomass by 4 to 5 times, making fish populations healthier and more robust.
- 📏 **Size and Age**: Fish within MPAs tend to be older and larger, with an average size increase of 25%, which contributes to a more stable ecosystem.
- 🌿 **Coral Benefits**: MPAs can help coral by protecting fish that eat micro algae, thus reducing competition and increasing coral cover.
- 📈 **Spillover Effects**: The positive effects of MPAs can extend beyond their boundaries, increasing biomass up to 200% in surrounding areas.
- 🛑 **No-Take Zones**: These are areas where no fishing is allowed, designed to help fish populations recover and increase fishery yields.
- 🔄 **Resilience and Productivity**: Removing human disturbance allows ecosystems within MPAs to become more resilient and productive.
- 🔍 **Planning Considerations**: The planning of MPAs requires considering various factors such as the movement patterns of species and the ecological needs of the area.
- 🌐 **Self-Sustaining Ecosystems**: MPAs should be designed to be self-sustaining, protecting critical habitats like spawning grounds.
- 🔄 **Life Cycle Protection**: MPAs should encompass areas that are crucial at different stages of a fish's life cycle to ensure their long-term survival.
- 🌀 **Shape and Size**: The shape of an MPA can influence its effectiveness, with circular shapes being more beneficial due to their larger area-to-perimeter ratio.
- 💵 **Economic Impact**: MPAs can have economic implications for fishermen, potentially increasing travel and search costs but also providing a safety net against overfishing.
- 🤝 **Stakeholder Inclusion**: Successful MPAs are those where all stakeholders are included in decision-making processes to ensure mutual understanding and cooperation.
Q & A
What is a marine protected area?
-A marine protected area is a designated region of the ocean or a lake where human activities such as fishing, diving, or the use of certain gear are restricted to protect the marine environment.
What types of restrictions can be found in marine protected areas?
-Restrictions can include limitations on fishing, specific types of gear, diving, or even traveling along the surface. These restrictions can be year-round or temporary, and are designed to protect sensitive areas or species during critical periods like mating seasons.
What are the benefits of marine protected areas according to the study mentioned in the script?
-The study found that within marine protected areas, fish biomass increased by four to five times, fish were older and larger, and the density and diversity of fish species also increased. Additionally, there was an increase in biomass outside the protected areas, ranging from zero to 200%.
How do marine protected areas help coral reefs?
-By protecting fish within the area, marine protected areas can indirectly help coral reefs. Fish consume micro algae that corals compete with, so protecting fish allows the reef to be more resilient to stresses and increases coral cover.
What is a no-take zone and how does it benefit the fishing industry?
-A no-take zone is a type of marine protected area where fishing is prohibited. It benefits the fishing industry by allowing fish populations to grow and breed within the protected area, potentially spilling over into fishable areas and increasing fishermen's catches and revenue.
When are no-take zones most beneficial to fishermen?
-No-take zones are most beneficial when a fishery is overfished and in need of relief from human activity. In such cases, the spillover effects can increase fishermen's catches despite the loss of fishing space.
How does the size of a marine protected area affect its effectiveness?
-The effectiveness of a marine protected area is influenced by the size and movement patterns of the species it aims to protect. Larger areas are needed for species with greater movement or dispersal to ensure protection throughout their life cycle.
Why might the shape of a marine protected area be important?
-The shape of a marine protected area is important because it can affect how productive the fishable areas around it are. A circular shape maximizes the area with the least perimeter, reducing fishing opportunities around the protected zone.
What are some of the costs associated with establishing a marine protected area?
-Costs associated with marine protected areas include increased search costs for fishermen due to travel distances, new gear restrictions, and additional monitoring, biological assessment, and enforcement costs.
Why is it important to involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process for marine protected areas?
-Involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process ensures that everyone understands the purpose of the protected area and how it will affect them. This inclusion can lead to more successful and beneficial marine protected areas by considering the needs and concerns of all parties involved.
Outlines
🌊 Marine Protected Areas: Purpose and Benefits
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are designated regions in oceans or lakes where human activities are limited to conserve marine life. These restrictions can range from specific fishing bans to complete prohibitions on certain activities. MPAs aim to shield marine ecosystems from human-induced degradation. A global study revealed that within these protected zones, fish biomass can increase by 400-500%, with fish growing older and larger, and a 25% increase in size on average. The density and species diversity of fish also rise. Importantly, the positive effects extend beyond the boundaries of the MPAs, with an average biomass increase of 0-200% in adjacent areas. MPAs enhance coral resilience by protecting fish that eat micro algae, thus reducing competition for coral. The planning of MPAs, such as no-fishing zones designed to boost fish populations and fishermen's catches, involves considering various factors including the initial state of the fishery, the species' dispersal patterns, and the need for self-sustaining habitats. The shape of the protected area is less critical than ensuring it encompasses the necessary habitats and is recognizable for monitoring.
💼 Economic Impacts on Fishermen from Marine Protected Areas
The establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) has significant economic implications for fishermen. No-take zones, for instance, can lead to increased search costs as fishermen may need to travel further to find new fishing grounds, using more fuel. Additionally, new restrictions on gear types, such as bottom trawl nets or drift nets, can impose extra costs on fishermen. The creation and management of MPAs also involve monitoring, biological assessment, and enforcement costs. To ensure the success and benefits of MPAs, it is crucial to include all stakeholders, particularly fishermen, in the decision-making process. This allows them to understand the purpose of the protected areas and how they will be affected, enabling them to provide valuable input. The next video will explore the concept of giving fishermen rights to manage certain areas, which could potentially lead to more effective conservation and resource management.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Marine Protected Area
💡Fish Biomass
💡No-Take Zone
💡Resilience
💡Dispersal
💡Spillover Effects
💡Overfishing
💡Total Allowable Catch
💡Self-Sustaining
💡Monitoring Costs
💡Stakeholder Inclusion
Highlights
Marine protected areas restrict human activities to protect marine life.
Restrictions can include fishing, gear types, diving, and even surface travel.
These areas can be temporary or permanent, protecting species during sensitive periods like mating seasons.
A global study shows marine protected areas increase fish biomass by 4 to 5 times on average.
Fish within these areas are older, larger, and more diverse.
The benefits of marine protected areas extend beyond their boundaries, increasing biomass up to 200% in surrounding areas.
Protected areas help coral by reducing competition from micro algae eaten by fish.
Removing top predators or disturbers allows marine life to grow and thrive.
Larger, older fish produce more and healthier eggs, contributing to diversity.
Designing marine protected areas requires considering various factors for effective conservation.
No-take zones are a type of marine protected area designed to help the fishing industry by increasing fish populations.
Initial conditions of a fishery are crucial when creating no-take zones to ensure they benefit fishermen.
No-take zones can act as a safety net, preventing fishery collapse when not increasing revenue.
The size and dispersal of species determine the effectiveness of marine protected areas.
Protecting areas where fish lay eggs can reduce damage to vulnerable populations.
Setting up multiple protected areas can ensure species' life cycles are supported despite external fishing.
The shape of a marine protected area can influence its effectiveness, with circular areas being more beneficial.
Inclusion of all stakeholders in decision-making is key to the success of marine protected areas.
Next video will explore giving fishermen rights to manage areas, potentially improving marine conservation.
Transcripts
a marine protected area is an area of
the ocean or a lake I guess where
activity is restricted in some way it
can just be restrictions on fishing a
few species of fish restrictions on
certain types of gear restrictions on
diving or it can restrict everything
even traveling along the surface it can
be year-round or temporary maybe just
protecting certain areas from damaging
gear during the mating seasons of
certain species or something marine
protected areas sort of apply to a lot
of things but the idea behind them is to
protect the contents of an area from the
humans that can degrade it but the
benefits can be greater than that
a study of 124 different marine
protected areas around the world found
that within the area on average the fish
biomass increased by four to five times
the fish were also older and larger
their length or width increased by an
average of 25% the density of the fish
and the number of different species also
increased but the benefits also spread
to the area outside again on average for
the areas they looked at there was an
increase in biomass from zero to 200%
but there didn't seem to be a
significant increase in the average size
or diversity outside the area a
protected area can help Coral to fish
will eat the micro algae that coral has
to compete with so by protecting the
fish
and preventing other disturbances it
makes the reef more resilient to
stresses and increases coral cover the
benefits maybe shouldn't really come as
a surprise take away us the top predator
or greatest disturber and the creatures
are free to grow to resilient and
productive sizes since older and larger
fish tend to lay more eggs and healthier
eggs than the younger smaller fish
there's a lot of diversity to marine
protected areas and a lot of things to
consider you know you could probably
study them all day so if we're here
let's keep it very simple and just look
at a few of the factors that might go
into the planning of let's say a no
fishing zone
used to try to help the fishing industry
the idea being create an area where fish
are free to grow and breed and they will
spill over into the fishable areas and
increase the fishermen's catches in
revenue this isn't the most common kind
of marine protected area it's just a
simple one to try to get thinking about
design characteristics because a no-take
zone would be taking away fishable area
its creation is directly in competition
with its desired effect setting aside a
chunk of ocean might increase the growth
of the fish inside and outside but at
the same time might be decreasing the
fishermen's catches because they've lost
fishing space you know there's less fish
overall in the space that they're
allowed to fish so when creating a
no-take zone to benefit fishermen the
initial conditions are important to
consider benefits to fishermen's revenue
happen mostly when a fishery is in a
really bad way from overfishing it's
here where fish desperately need relief
from human activity and a no-take zone
can have those spillover effects to the
extent that they're actually increasing
the fishermen's catches despite the lost
space but there are other benefits it
the fishery isn't managed very well than
a no-take zone while not increasing
revenue might act as a safety net
preventing a collapse at any rate after
the marine protected area is set up the
new total quota or total allowable catch
should consider the no-take zones effect
on the ecology of the area it may
increase or decrease the total allowable
catch depending on what's going on the
benefits are also dependent on how far
the species Candice first from that area
some species of fish may disperse very
quickly and concede other areas by
migration or seeds drift while certain
benthic organisms may disperse much
slower and can only really create better
fishing spots at the edges of the area
in general the larger the movement or
dispersal of the species the larger the
marine protected area needs to be to be
able to protect them throughout their
life the areas that end up being
protected should be self-sustaining for
the species for example if one area has
been identified as being the place where
fish go to lay eggs you may want to
protect that area from any fishing or
damaging activities to reduce damage to
the fish when they are vulnerable the
spot is important and should be
protected but it may not be where the
fish grow up it may not be a source of
food for the population the fish need to
be protected where they're going to be
during their life so that they can reach
those larger sizes and have a bigger
effect on the productivity of the fish
so you can set up multiple areas or
networks of areas where the fish can
travel between at different stages of
their life such that the areas that are
protected can persist regardless of how
much fishing is going on outside
depending on the species the edges
around a marine protected area may end
up being the most productive fishable
areas that attract fishermen maybe this
is the whole point and it's what you
want but to minimize this effect the
area should be a circle because a circle
has the largest area for the smallest
perimeter it gives the fish the largest
area with as few fishing opportunities
around it by contrast let's say we
protect the same amount of area but it
has a weird shape and the perimeter is
huge the fishermen can get all in
between and the benefits will be missed
completely but at the end of the day
whether it's a circle or square or lumpy
oblong doesn't really make a huge
difference making sure you've captured
the habitat and making sure monitors can
recognize the area is
much more important this is all stuff
that affects the fisherman's revenue but
we need to think about their costs too
if a no-take zone is set up close to
shore or in an old fishing spot that the
fishermen know which will tend to be the
exploited areas they're going to have to
spend time traveling farther and use
more fuel in search of new places to
fish it's going to increase their search
costs the fisherman will also have new
costs if there are restrictions on the
type of gear used like restricting
bottom trawl nets or drift nets or new
restrictions on net size and setting up
a restricted area will come with new
monitoring costs biological assessment
costs and enforcement costs
anyways all marine protected areas are
going to have a lot of considerations
and the most successful and beneficial
ones will be the ones where all the
players are included in the
decision-making so they know the purpose
of the area and how it will affect them
and they can give their input in the
next video we're going to look at giving
the fishermen the rights to an area and
letting them manage it
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