MPAs Around the World

MPAs have been used around the world for marine conservation and biodiversity protection over the last 30 years. Examples of the effects of MPAs on species in temperate or European seas are much less common, but they have a greater relevance to guiding our approach in the UK.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

For security reasons, the waters around Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Centre have been closed to fishermen since 1963, creating a 15 square mile fisheries reserve. The areas around this reserve are now a favourite spot for local anglers and many recent specimen catches have been taken there. Scientists say the waters hold more than double the number of fish found in comparable areas. Dr Darlene Johnson of the National Marine Fisheries describes an area “that just seemed to be teeming with fish, alligators and bird life”

Fact: 62% of record-size black drum, 54% of red drum and 50% of spotted seatrout were caught within 100km of the refuge.

Lundy Island NTZ, south-west England

The example from Lundy Island is particularly significant as the UK’s only fully protected reserve is also situated in the south-west region. The waters around this small, granitic island support diverse wildlife including the pink sea fan and the sunset cup coral. A voluntary marine nature reserve was established in 1973, but it was not until 30 years later that the site was given full protection through a Sea Fisheries byelaw. During a 2007 survey, there were 6-7 times more lobsters in lobsters in the reserve than in the fished areas. Outside of the reserve, the number of small lobsters found in control sites around Lundy had increased indicating an export of lobsters from the reserve.

Fact: In 2005, 18 months after the no-take zone had been in place, the reserve showed a 2-3 times increase in the abundance of lobsters in area. By 2007, a survey showed a 100% increase in abundance of lobsters from the 2005 figures.

Leigh Island, New Zealand

New Zealand was one of the pioneers of marine reserves in temperate waters, having had functioning fully protected marine reserves since 1977. There are now 15 marine reserves in New Zealand protecting approximately 4% of its territorial waters. The Cape-Rodney-Okakari Marine Reserve covers 5km2 and since it was closed in 1977 it has seen a five-fold increase in the density of lobsters and some exploited fish species inside the reserve. This expansion of marine life has led to an entirely unexpected surge in numbers of visitors, with over 100,000 tourists each year bringing valuable revenue.

Fact: 78% of commercial fishers said they were in favour of more reserves and 40% said that their catches were higher because of the existence of the reserve.

Tabarca Island Marine Reserve, Alicante Province, Spain

A marine reserve was established around this small Mediterranean Island in 1986. It includes a 100 hectare no take reserve and a buffer zone where some traditional fishing gears are permitted. Spear-fishing and water-skiing are not allowed anywhere in the reserve. A few years after protection, underwater surveys have shown that the abundance and biomass of fish are higher in the reserve than in unprotected areas. This has since resulted in what appears to be an export of fish from the reserve into fished areas. Most significantly, the local fishing fleet is the most modern and viable in the region.

Fact: After six years of protection, catches of grouper had risen by 50% and bream by 85% in zones adjacent to the reserve. After nine years of protection, bream caught nearer to the reserve than away from it had increased three fold.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park - Austrailia

In 2004, no-take zones were introduced around the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The zones cover an area of approximately 100,000km2 (about one third of the park). Not surprisingly, there were strong objections from commercial and recreational fishers but since the fishing ban, numbers of coral trout have increased dramatically. Coral trout numbers in the fished areas around the zones have not changed. In total, 160 species of fish are being monitored but the coral trout is the only species showing signs of recovery. That said, it can take many years for species to show signs of recovery. In another part of the Great Barrier Reef where fishing has been stopped since 1989, the crown-of-thorns starfish, a voracious predator of corals, has had far fewer population explosions in the no-take zones. Crown-of-thorns starfish can cause immense damage to coral reefs.

Fact: Coral trout numbers have increased in the marine park by between 31% and 64% in 2 years in the areas monitored. Crown-of-thorns starfish which prey on tropical coral reefs have decreased in number since no take zones were introduced.

Long-Island Kokomohua Marine Reserve, New Zealand

This marine reserve was established in 1993 and is located to the north-east of South Island. The reserve is approximately 6.5km long. Since the reserve was established, the size and number of blue cod found in the area have increased dramatically. Spiny lobsters (intensively fished in New Zealand) have also increased in size and abundance in the area. Blue moki fish have also increased in size. Interestingly, very small kina (a fish), were not recorded in any of the reserve sites during 2008 but were found in the control sites throughout the study and were present in other years at the monitored reserve sites. This may be due to the fact that kina are the prey of lobster and blue cod which now appear in great abundance in the reserve. Further surveys will be needed to see if this is indeed the case.

Fact: Large blue cod (greater than 330mm in length) are 3.6 times more abundant in the reserve than in control sites nearby where fishing is allowed and spiny lobster are now 5.6 times more abundant in the area since the reserve was established.

Gilbert Bay Marine Protected Area, Labrador, Canada

Set up in 2005 and located on the south-east coast of Labrador (above Newfoundland) the Gilbert Bay MPA was the first to be set up in the Canadian subarctic coastal zone. Gilbert Bay is not a no-take zone, as catches of some fish are allowed but purely for personal consumption. Additionally, commercial scalloping is allowed in some areas of the bay. The MPA was set up in Gilbert Bay with the primary intention of protecting stocks of Atlantic cod but the management plan for the bay also supports general conservation of the bay’s ecosystem.

Fact: Cod are a very slow growing species and as a consequence, it could take many years for stocks to recover. Long-term monitoring of the area will therefore be necessary.

Las Cruces Marine Reserve, Chile

Initially set up as a marine reserve in 1982, the reserve was then designated as a no-take zone MPA in 2005. Chilean abalones (a mollusc) had become rare due to overharvesting but since the reserve was created, the abalones in the reserve area have become more abundant and much larger in size than abalones found outside of the reserve. Since the reserve was established, mussel numbers have declined considerably but this is likely to be due to mussels being the natural prey of the abalones. As the mussel population decreased, then so did the number of abalones from their peak after the reserve was created. This is believed to be as the result of there being fewer mussels available for predation. After the creation of marine reserves, it can take many years for the numbers of prey and predators to stabilise.

Fact: Due to the large size of the abalones within the reserve, they are able to produce as much as 40 times more eggs than their counterparts outside of the reserve.

Georges Bank (fishery closures) Gulf of Maine, eastern seaboard of USA

Located in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank is an example of large areas which have been closed to commercial fishing methods although some forms of fishing have been allowed such as long-lining. Since the introduction of the closed areas, stocks of haddock and flounder have increased. Cod has been slower to respond but this is thought to be due to their species being more mobile than the others. It has been noted that there appears to be a spillover from the closed areas of a number of species of groundfish which is in turn benefitting the fishers in the areas which have not been closed. The introduction of closed areas was also coupled with a number of other measures to help groundfish species such as limiting the number of permits issued, increasing the size of trawl mesh and reducing the amount of time fishing was allowed.

Fact: Scallop numbers have increased along the boundaries of the closed areas, as well as outside due to the export of larvae benefitting scallopers outside of the closed areas. Yellowtail flounder has seen an increase of 800% since the introduction of year round closed areas.