Abstract
This study describes the results obtained by applying the Arnason Schwartz multistate mark-recapture model to eight years of data collected in and around a small no-fishing marine protected area (MPA; 4 km2) in the central western Mediterranean. From 1997 to 2004, a total of 4044 specimens of Palinurus elephas (Fabr., 1787) were tagged and 317 recaptured. The most parsimonious model which best explained the data variability was that of a temporally constant rate of apparent survival and movement in each of the two strata. The absence of any temporal influence in the apparent survival rate inside the no-take area suggested that spillover and mortality are constant for each period of the study. The lower apparent survival rate in surrounding zones than inside the MPA (0.26 ± 0.04 (SE) vs 0.94 ± 0.03 (SE)) is presumed to be a function of fishing effort. A continuous movement of P. elephas across the boundary of the small MPA was also tested. This information on retention of lobsters in the MPA contributes to our understanding of the effect of introducing MPAs into a managed commercial fishery system.
Highlights
During the last century a large number of marine reserves were established around the world (Jones et al, 1993) in an attempt to halt further deterioration of sensitive habitats or to offer an alternative to traditional management options (Sanchez Lizaso et al., 2000)
The present paper describes an eight-year study, using mark recapture techniques, designed to assess the survival, resighting and movement rate of the spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas, in an marine protected area (MPA) and its adjacent fished zone located in the central western Mediterranean
153 tagged lobsters were caught inside the MPA and 164 in the neighbouring areas from 1998 to 2004 (Tables 1 and 2)
Summary
During the last century a large number of marine reserves were established around the world (Jones et al, 1993) in an attempt to halt further deterioration of sensitive habitats or to offer an alternative to traditional management options (Sanchez Lizaso et al., 2000). In the last decade a few efforts have been made to show that the reserves ( called marine protected areas (MPAs) or no-take areas, where all forms of fishing are prohibited) promote an increase in abundance as well as in the mean size of the pro-. The effect of a reduction of fishing on density and biomass of fish populations has been thoroughly investigated both in the Mediterranean and in other marine regions Most studies conclude that fishery reserves can increase the fish stocks in neighbouring areas, especially through migration of adults (Dugan and Davis, 1993; Roberts and Polunin, 1993; Rakitin and Kramer, 1996; Guenette et al, 1998)
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