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INCOFISH WP5
MPAs on Continental Shelves
Fisheries and Ecosystem
Management
Introduction
Increasing profile of MPAs as a management tool
based on small scale MPAs for site attached species.
Examining the role of MPAs for management of large
scale shelf fisheries in the context of ecosystem
management.
Emphasis on fisheries but where possible allow for the
impacts of other marine users.
Complex multispecies fisheries the ecosystems to be
examined are comprised of a wide range of species with
varying life histories and degrees of mobility, from sessile
invertebrates to high mobile pelagic stocks.
Ecosystem effects of fisheries
Direct reduction in targeted stock
Direct reduction in non-target stock, or non-targeted
portion of a stock (bycatch / discards)
Alteration of marine food webs, due to the targeted,
and accidental removal and damage of predator and prey
species.
Damage to habitat structure and functioning by
fishing gear. (Benthic community structure / physical
complexity / critical habitats)
Role of MPAs
Single stock perspective:
Site attached species - protect a quorum of
spawning stock to safeguard future reproductive
success and enhance yield out side the MPA due to
larval dispersal and spill over.
Mobile species – MPAs for mobile stocks are
essentially a form of effort control, albeit with
specific subtle differences to traditional effort
control methods as in cases specific sub-stocks,
age classes or aggregations can be selectively
targeted or protected.
Role of MPAs
Ecosystem perspective:
Habitat protection – critical or fragile habitats can be
protected from the damaging effects of fishing gear.
Species overlap – species with seasonal or ontogenetic
migrations can be preferentially targeted whilst they are
in specific areas to aid multispecies catches or reduce
bycatch.
Selective gear restrictions – in cases where specific
gear types cause wider ecosystem effects it may be
possible to allow the continuation of fishing in the area
with alternative less damaging techniques.
Objectives
Review the nature of three selected ecosystems and the
role and effectiveness and operation of selected existing
MPAs within these ecosystems. Examine the need and
potential role of further MPAs within these ecosystems.
Run simulations of MPA effectiveness with Ecopath models
developed in conjunction with WP4 for the selected
ecosystems. Examine effects of size and placement on the
effectiveness of MPAs for selected ecosystems.
Develop supporting models to supplement and aid
interpretation of the Ecopath output, or to examine
situations that can not be explicitly tested with the Ecopath
models.
Develop conceptual model for the development of MPA
networks on the basis of results from the above
investigations.
Project Partners
Prof Nick Polunin
Newcastle Uni, UK
Will Le Quesne
Dr John Pinnegar
CEFAS, UK
Dr Steve Mackinson
Prof Francisco Arreguín-Sánchez
CICIMAR, Mexico
Manuel Zetina-Rejón, Co-workers
Prof Haigen Xu
Co-workers
NIES, China
Case Studies
Case Studies - North Sea
Approximate
boundary of ICES
area IV - North Sea
Case Studies - North Sea
In the North Sea there are
a number of areas closed
fishing.
None of these exclude all
fishing activities.
‘Boxes’ were established
for very different purposes
(e.g. to allow particular
species to recover, to
prevent accidental bycatch,
to protect juveniles, to
protect seabirds).
‘Boxes’ have had varying
success – some have
worked, some have
completely failed!
Case Studies - Gulf of Mexico
Continental Shelf of Yucatan
Proposed study
area
Gulf of Mexico
Yucatán
Campeche Bank
ecosystem
Protected area
Campeche Sound
Campeche
Laguna de Terminos
Proposed
protected areas
Main seasonal
movements
Main inputs of
production
Case Studies - Yellow Sea
Bohai Sea
Background to WP5
North Sea: many existing data, strong modelling
interests, much current work on large MPAs
(‘boxes’) by CEFAS.
Mexico: some detail in existing data and some
ecopath modelling under way for Campache
Bank ecosystem by CICIMAR.
China: existing data uncertain, no ecopath
modelling etc by NIES, but a preliminary
ecopath model has been developed for the
Bohai Sea (Tong et al).
Ecosystem model
Model simulations will include:
• size and placement of MPAs
• protection of critical and fragile habitats
• differential effect of gears in a specified locations
• effect of redistribution of fishing effort outside
MPAs
• protecting core stocks of site attached species
• accounting for seasonal or ontogenetic migrations
• consistent ‘themes’ coming out of the analysis of the
role of MPAs in three different ecosystems.
Marine bio/
oceanographic
data?
Other data,
e.g. wildlife?
Inputs for
China only
for WP5
Generic/theoretical data
Ecopath model
Ecosim model
Ecospace model
Fisheries data?
Inputs for
N Sea and
Mexico
from WP4
Supporting models
Example Ecospace output for the North sea model
Starting with
Ecopath baseline,
Ecospace iterates
towards a solution
wherein the
biomass of each
species is spread
over a number of
cells, depending on
suitable habitat,
the predation they
experience and the
availability of prey
(Walters et al.
1999).
Panels display biomass distribution
predictions for each functional group