MPA Symposium - Zoological Society of London

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MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ON THE HIGH SEAS AN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM HELD AT ZSL ON 3 AND 4 FEBRUARY 2011 ABSTRACTS OF TALKS SESSION I (cont): DO MPAs WORK? (PROGRESS TOWARDS 2012 GOALS and the STATE OF PROGRESS ON HIGH SEAS MPAs) Chair: Matthew Gollock (International Marine and Freshwater Conservation Programme, ZSL) 11.15–11.40 Extrapolating lessons learned from coastal and nearshore MPAs to increase efficiency and connectivity for effective high seas MPAs Colleen Corrigan, United Nations Environment Programme- World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK As we move toward the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2012 marine target and the continued implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Programme of Work on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity, it is clear that we are globally short of our marine protection targets and that a large percentage of the ocean is simply not represented in current marine protection efforts. Despite the trend toward establishment of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs), it is imperative that we accelerate our progress in protecting areas of the high seas that are severely underrepresented. As technical capacities to access, research, and monitor high seas areas improves, so does our knowledge about best practices in protecting and effectively managing nearshore marine environments. In addition, we have underestimated the contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities who can provide lessons from their customary practices in governing marine managed and protected areas, as well as important socioeconomic considerations that can be beneficial to high seas MPAs. There is a great need to begin synthesizing lessons learned from the processes that oversee the more than 5000 existing MPAs around the world so that we can adapt and apply these lessons to the successful implementation of MPAs on the high seas. This presentation will explore a range of concepts that can be extrapolated from our collective years of rich experience in designing, planning and implementing coastal MPAs to help increase the efficiency toward which we plan and implement high seas MPAs. Insights will be shared from a Pacific-based mapping project that reviews large-scale connectivity across political boundaries, bringing together the biological processes and species-specific migratory routes that extend from near-shore areas to the high seas. It will also present input on the linkage between local communities, social contexts, and cultural customs that can influence our collective work in protecting static and dynamic areas of the high seas. 11.40–12.05 Assessing capture risk of pelagic fish by satellite-tracked longline vessels and the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas Nicolas E. Humphries 1 , Nuno Queiroz 1,2 , Gonzalo Mucientes 3 , Lara Sousa 2 and David W. Sims 1 1 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Plymouth, UK 2 CIBIO – U.P., Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal 3 Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, CSIC, Vigo, Spain In order to assess whether a possible Marine Protected Area (MPA) will be effective it is desirable to have an understanding of the three dimensional spatio-temporal interactions between the fishing fleet and the fish population needing protection. Without such reference, an MPA could feasibly be created where fish might be abundant but where fishing pressure is already low, or may lead to unnecessarily reduced fishing in areas where there is in fact little sustained interaction with target, or perhaps more likely, by-caught species. Ideally, therefore, For further information, please contact: Publications and Meetings, ZSL, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK. anne.braae@zsl.org
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ON THE HIGH SEAS AN INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM HELD AT ZSL ON 3 AND 4 FEBRUARY 2011 ABSTRACTS OF TALKS detailed information about the movements of both fish and fishery should be used when planning an MPA. In the case of the Spanish and Portuguese longlining fleets, vessel movements are tracked by GPS and recorded as part of the vessel monitoring system (VMS). Using this data we mapped the distribution of fishing effort spatially and through time for the Northeast Atlantic, providing interesting insights into the spatio-temporal distribution of fishing effort. Because the vessels target swordfish (Xiphias gladius) it is likely that the observed distribution reflects that of the movements, migrations and habitat preferences of swordfish. Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are an important by-catch species of longline vessels and, because the sharks have different movements and habitat preferences to swordfish, the impact of the fishery on the species is more difficult to assess, especially as there is no formal management of pelagic shark catches in this area. Satellite tracking data on individual blue sharks has allowed us to record their thermal preferences and general movement patterns. This information was used to parameterise a simulation of a generic pelagic predator, with similar movement patterns and seasonal migrations to the blue shark, moving through the Northeast Atlantic. Individual, annual movements were then ‘run’ in time with the longline vessel movements and close spatial interactions, indicative of capture events or increased capture risk, were recorded. We then placed different sized MPAs at different locations to assess the relative impact on capture risk for the model sharks. The results of the analysis will be described. It is evident that the results provide interesting insights into the effect that MPAs, fleet reductions or seasonal closures might have on the fishing pressure experienced by non-target species. 12.05–12.30 High Seas Marine Protected Areas: How could they work? Phil MacMullen, Seafish, UK Fisheries are notoriously difficult to manage. With all the resources available in developed economies it has taken over 100 years to understand the science of exploited marine ecosystems, and governments are still struggling to apply this understanding effectively. Fishermen want to be independent and they instinctively resist most attempts at monitoring and control. Prescriptive management has its place but can only ever be a part of the answer. Market forces are another part of the jigsaw but how do we use them most effectively? We need to put together a package of measures and provisions tailored to work with the forces that drive the behaviour of fishermen. This presentation looks at some lessons learned and identifies the tools in the toolbox, and the factors that need to be taken into account, if we are to seek confidence in compliance. 12.30–13.00 DISCUSSION LED BY PANEL OF SESSION I SPEAKERS 13.00–14.00 LUNCH For further information, please contact: Publications and Meetings, ZSL, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK. anne.braae@zsl.org
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MPA Symposium - Zoological Society of London

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