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Development of Design Criteria for Marine Protected Areas
Many studies have demonstrated that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) closed to fishing have higher abundance of fished species than non-protected areas. For these MPAs to have a benefit to a fishery, they must act as a source of individuals to non–protected areas as well.
One way for this to occur is for excess juveniles and/or adults to move out of the MPA. Alternatively, larvae spawned in the MPA may be transported out, thereby contributing to adult populations in non–protected areas. Hence, one component of an MPA assessment is an evaluation of the potential areas that could be supplied by larvae spawned within the MPA.
There are a handful of Marine Protected Areas along the southeast coast of the United States, including the
- Tortugas Ecological Reserve (TER),
- Experimental Oculina Research Reserve (EORR), and
- Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS).
The potential for larval transport from these protected areas has been quantified using satellite–tracked drifters. Multiple drifters were deployed within each protected area and tracked for up to 60 days, covering the average larval period of most marine fish. The drifter tracks show that larvae spawned in the TER could be transported back to the TER or to the EORR. Larvae spawned in the EORR could be transported to GRNMS, and larvae spawned in GRNMS could be transported back to GRNMS. These data indicate that larval transport is largely unidirectional—from the Florida Keys east and northwards. However, these data also indicate the potential retention of larvae around the Dry Tortugas and off the coast of Georgia. Currently, a larval transport model is under development to provide a more complete view of larval transport on the shelf and to provide a tool for the future siting of MPAs.
OUTCOME: The project demonstrates that the few MPAs on the southeast United States continental shelf are likely connected via larval transport. These data support the idea that a network of MPAs will support fishery management and conservation objectives. Future work will continue to investigate the processes that affect MPA network design. More
For more information contact Jon Hare at jon.hare@noaa.gov