Publication Abstract

Spatial assessment of fishing effort around European marine reserves: Implications for successful fisheries management

Spatial assessment of fishing effort around European marine reserves: Implications for successful fisheries management

V. Stelzenműller*, F. Maynou, G. Bernard, G. Cadiou, M. Camilleri, R. Crec’hriou, G. Criquet, M. Dimech, O. Esparza, R. Higgins, P. Lenfant, and Á. Pérez-Ruzafa

We examined the spatial dynamic of artisanal fishing fleets around five European marine protected areas (MPAs) to derive general implications for the evaluation of MPAs as fisheries management tools. The coastal MPAs studied were located off France, Malta and Spain and presented a variety of spatial designs and processes of establishment. We developed a standardized methodology to define factors influencing effort allocation and to produce fishing effort maps by merging GIS with geostatistical modeling techniques. Results revealed that in most cases the factors “distance to the no-take”, “water depth”, and “distance to the port” had a significant influence on effort allocation by the fishing fleets. Overall, we found local concentration of fishing effort around the MPA borders. Thus, neglecting the pattern of fishing effort distribution in evaluating MPA benefits, such as spillover of biomass, could hamper sound interpretation of MPAs as fisheries management tools.

Reference

V. Stelzenműller*, F. Maynou, G. Bernard, G. Cadiou, M. Camilleri, R. Crec’hriou, G. Criquet, M. Dimech, O. Esparza, R. Higgins, P. Lenfant, and Á. Pérez-Ruzafa (2008) Spatial assessment of fishing effort around European marine reserves: Implications for successful fisheries management. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56 (2008) 2018–2026

V. Stelzenműller*, F. Maynou, G. Bernard, G. Cadiou, M. Camilleri, R. Crec’hriou, G. Criquet, M. Dimech, O. Esparza, R. Higgins, P. Lenfant, and Á. Pérez-Ruzafa

Marine Pollution Bulletin 56 (2008) 2018–2026