Preprint volume - SIBM

Pre-print Volume – Oral presentations
Topic 3: INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
and eastern reserve edges were asymmetric and changed in time. The western side of
the Portofino promontory is likely characterized by a bottom morphology and type of
cover less suitable for sea breams than the eastern one. Furthermore, most of local
artisanal fishermen, which typically exploit these fish species, operate preferentially
along the western coasts. Despite the collected data evidenced negative gradients of sea
bream abundance across the MPA boundaries, the presence of spillover seemed
questionable, due to the very low abundance of sea breams outside the reserve.
Nevertheless, the level of fishing outside the MPA boundaries could be high enough to
prevent the development of a pattern of gradual decline in abundance. That is, spillover
from the MPA might occur but fishers could deplete quickly any potential increase in
abundance just outside the reserve. This hypothesis is corroborated by frequent
observations of many people fishing close to reserve boundaries (a very common
situation termed as “fishing the line”). Moreover, the slight recovery of fish abundance
recorded along the eastern coasts in proximity to the harbour of S. Margherita would
suggest a moderate spillover. An important issue derived for the present work to
consider in future investigations concerns sampling effort. To gain more robust
evidence of spillover, it would be advisable to relocate sampling effort so as to enhance
the number of sampling sites close to the MPA boundaries, where a drastic change in
fish abundance do occur.
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This paper represents a contribution toward the aims of The “SPILLOVER” project funded by
MIPAF, PNR - VI Piano Triennale della Pesca e dell’Acquacoltura.
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