Shelby L. Ziegler, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Rachel O. Brooks, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Lyall F. Bellquist, The Nature Conservancy
Jennifer E. Caselle, University of California, Santa Barbara
Steven G. Morgan, University of California, Davis
Timothy J. Mulligan, California Polytechnic State University, Arcata
Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Brice X. Semmens, University of California, San Diego
Richard M. Starr, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Joe Tyburczy, California Polytechnic State University, Arcata
Dean E. Wendt, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Andre Buchheister, California Polytechnic State University, Arcata
Jose R. Marin Jarrin, California Polytechnic State University, Arcata
Christina Pasparakis, University of California, Davis
Salvador J. Jorgensen, California State University, Monterey Bay
Jennifer A. Chiu, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Jordan Colby, University of California, Davis
Connor L. Coscino, University of California, San Diego
Leon Davis, California Polytechnic State University, Arcata
Francine de Castro, University of California, Davis
Jack T. Elstner, University of California, San Diego
Christopher Honeyman, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara
Erica T. Jarvis Mason, University of California, San Diego
Erin M. Johnston, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Sadie L. Small, University of California, Davis
Jay Staton, California Polytechnic State University, Arcata
Grant T. Waltz, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Bonnie Basnett, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Erin V. Satterthwaite, University of California, Davis
Helen Killeen, University of California, Davis
Connor D. Dibble, University of California, Davis
Scott L. Hamilton, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

Publication Title

Conservation Letters

Abstract

A variety of criteria may influence the efficacy of networks of marine protected areas (MPA) designed to enhance biodiversity conservation and provide fisheries benefits. Meta-analyses have evaluated the influence of MPA attributes on abundance, biomass, and size structure of harvested species, reporting that MPA size, age, depth, and connectivity influence the strength of MPA responses. However, few empirical MPA evaluation studies have used consistent sampling methodology across multiple MPAs and years. Our collaborative fisheries research program systematically sampled 12 no-take or highly protective limited-take MPAs and paired fished reference areas across a network spanning 1100 km of coastline to evaluate the factors driving MPA efficacy across a large geographic region. We found that increased size and age consistently contributed to increased fish catch, biomass, and positive species responses inside MPAs, while accounting for factors such as latitude, primary productivity, and distance to the nearest MPA. Our study provides a model framework to collaboratively engage diverse stakeholders in fisheries research and provide high-quality data to assess the success of conservation strategies.

Comments

Published in Conservation Letters by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Available via doi: 10.1111/conl.13000.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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