Marine Protected Areas Flashcards
Hope Spots
Provide hope due to:
- Special abundance or diversity of species
- Populations of rare or threatened species
- Potential reverse damage from negative human impacts
- Significant historical, cultural, or spiritual values
- Economic importance
- Migration / spawning grounds
Can be big or small
Where is the first hope spot in NY?
Shinnecock Bay
World Heritage Sites
Have special natural or cultural values and span borders of multiple countries (Ex: The Great Barrier Reef, Galápagos Islands)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
Restrict some human activities but allow fishing
8% of the ocean
Marine Reserves
Areas also known as no take zones where fishing is prohibited
Less than 3% of the ocean
What are some of the restrictions that may be applied to a marine protected area?
- Limits on terrestrial development
- Bans on all or some watercraft
- Rules about anchoring / mooring
- Restrictions on fishing gear
- Seasonal fisheries closure
- Different catch limits than unprotected waters
- Bans on “taking” or disrupting marine life
- No human presence permitted
Different MPAs have different goals
No-Use Zone
No human activities are permitted
No-Take Zones
Only “non-extractive” activities are permitted
Buffer Zones
Transitional areas between no-take zones and multi-use zones (allow some hook fishing / tourism)
Multi-Use Zones
Tourism, aquaculture, recreational and commercial fishing are permitted
What was the first law for ocean protection in the United States?
Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972
Gives NOAA the authority to develop management plans, issue regulations, and enforce those regulations for each sanctuary as a whole
National Marine Sanctuaries
- A category of MPA
- Requires a designation
- Designation process involves public engagement, local community outreach, stakeholder involvement etc. (this is required before and after the sanctuary is created)
Ecological Reserves
Protect an entire range of marine habitats
Existing Management Areas
Established by NOAA or another federal agency prior to 1997 when sanctuary zoning regulations went into effect
Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPAs)
Areas for scientific research and educational purposes, restoration, monitoring, or to establish areas that confine or restrict activity
Wildlife Management Areas
Intended to minimize disturbances to sensitive or endangered wildlife and their habitats (ex: turtle nesting beaches)
What are the 5 keys to a successful MPA?
- Size: The larger the MPA the greater success it will have
- Age: The older the MPA is the ore effective it is
- Proximity: The more connectivity and distance to other MPAs, the higher the genetic diversity
- Level of enforcement: Strict and adaptive management
- Degree of protection: No-take reserves provide the most protection
What are some of the benefits of a good MPA?
- Refuge (fish can hide from people resulting in bigger fish and higher catches)
- Protect vital habitats / ecosystems
- Protect juvenile spawning grounds
- Protect ecosystem integrity, structure and function
- Enhance knowledge of marine systems
- Improve fisheries
Describe Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS)
- One of the largest MPAs in the world
- 80% of the country’s national waters are in a full protected no take zone
- Only 20% of Palau’s EEZ is open to fishing
- Regulatory zones prioritize palauan fishers raising the export tax for fish caught by foreign fleets
What could potentially happen to the Palau National Marine Sanctuary?
- The Palau government wants to open their waters back up to commercial fishing in an effort to recover economically from the global pandemic
- Only 30% of their waters would remain protected
When was the Ross Sea established as a MPA?
- December 2017
- 24 Countries agreed to its designation (Antarctica is not officially owned by any country)
- Protected from commercial fishing for 35 years
- No-take zone where all fishing is prohibited (two research zones allow limited fishing for scientific purposes)
How can MPAs improve fisheries?
- Increase abundance of over-exploited stocks
- Reduce fishing pressure on vulnerable species
- Protect species taken as bycatch from mortality
- Reduce user conflicts
- Enhance reproduction
Which MPAs are most effective?
Those that are fully protected
Describe what happened to the sea scallops in the Gulf of Maine?
Inside the MPA, the number of scallops increased and was greater compared to fully fished areas outside of the MPA. Although this was great, fishing for bottom fishes in the Gulf of Maine was concentrated around the boundaries of the protected areas.
