Marine protected areas, or MPAs, are an increasingly common way of protecting marine ecosystems by prohibiting fishing in specific locations.
Marine protected areas, or MPAs, are an increasingly common way of protecting marine ecosystems by prohibiting fishing in specific locations. However, many people remain skeptical that MPAs actually benefit fish populations, and there has not yet been a way to demonstrate whether or not they are effective. Until now.
A study published July 17 in the Journal of Applied Ecology is the first description of how to use data collected before and after a protected area is implemented to measure its effectiveness. Data collected beforehand can help predict how much fish populations are expected to increase. Then scientists can compare it to data collected after the MPA is in place to help determine whether adjustments are needed, such as changing the size or enforcement levels of an MPA.
Safeguarding California’s marine life
California’s Marine Life Protection Act of 1999 was created to safeguard some of the state’s most treasured resources — its coast and ocean. It mandated that such areas be managed adaptively, with the ability to be changed if needed to meet their goals of preserving the diversity and abundance of marine life off the California coast. But, since its implementation, there has not been a way to assess whether or not the state’s MPAs are effective in meeting those goals.
Read more at University of California – Davis
