Benefits of marine protected areas for tropical coastal sharks

Yates, Peter; Tobin, Andrew J.; Heupel, Michelle R.; Simpfendorfer, Colin A.

doi:10.1002/aqc.2616

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(95 reference statements)

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“…Second, proportional change in hard coral cover over the 4.5 year period was not influenced by the zoning of a site (β = 0.06, P = 0.32), but did increase with the number of voyages to visit the site (β = 0.022, P = 0.015) (fixed effects model: R 2 = 0.21, F 2,50 = 6.49, P = 0.003; Table S3). Zoning has been linked to a range of ecosystem benefits on the GBR [40][41][42] , as well as to the potential of a reef to experience a COTS outbreak [43][44][45] . Our results provide some support for this conclusion: sites zoned with greater protection, i.e.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative efficacy of three approaches to mitigate Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Westcott

Fletcher

Kroon

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

100

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Population outbreaks of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS; Acanthaster spp.) are a major contributor to loss of hard coral throughout the Indo-Pacific. On Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR), management interventions have evolved over four COTS outbreaks to include: (1) manual COTS control, (2) Marine Protected Area (MPA) zoning, and, (3) water quality improvement. Here we evaluate the contribution of these three approaches to managing population outbreaks of COTS to minimize coral loss. Strategic manual control at sites reduced COTS numbers, including larger, more fecund and damaging individuals. Sustained reduction in COTS densities and improvements in hard coral cover at a site were achieved through repeated control visits. MPAs influenced initial COTS densities but only marginally influenced final hard coral cover following COTS control. Water quality improvement programs have achieved only marginal reductions in river nutrient loads delivered to the GBR and the study region. This, a subsequent COTS outbreak, and declining coral cover across the region suggest their contributions are negligible. These findings support manual control as the most direct, and only effective, means of reducing COTS densities and improving hard coral cover currently available at a site. We provide recommendations for improving control program effectiveness with application to supporting reef resilience across the Indo-Pacific. Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS; Acanthaster spp.) are among the largest and most efficient coral predators, and COTS population irruptions (often termed 'outbreaks') are a major contributor to coral loss throughout the Indo-Pacific region 1. To address increasing and elevated densities of COTS, manual control programs, mainly involving lethal injections in situ 2 or hand collections and disposal on shore 3 , have been implemented since the 1960s. By 2014 some 84 manual control programs had been conducted across the Indo-Pacific, killing or removing at least 17 million starfish at an estimated cost of US$15-44 million 1. Such programs have generally had limited success in either suppressing COTS densities or preventing coral loss 3-5. Several authors have suggested that successful manual control is unlikely with large scale or severe COTS population outbreaks 6-9. Given that single-injection methods for culling individual COTS are now close to 100% effective 10 , significant improvements in manual control programs are likely to be found in the strategic and effective deployment of in-water resources to manage COTS impacts on coral reefs 11,12. Despite this, there is little information available on the efficacy of manual COTS control programs nor on their performance relative to other measures implemented to manage population outbreaks of COTS to minimize coral loss. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBR) is one of the world's largest coral reef ecosystems and a globally recognized world heritage area. Despite its iconic status, the GBR is subject to a range of anthropogenic threats, and, like tropical coral r...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative efficacy of three approaches to mitigate Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Westcott

Fletcher

Kroon

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

100

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“…In particular, the implementation of landing restrictions, including the obligation to release alive all specimens caught accidentally or as by‐catch, should be carefully considered in areas where the smooth‐hound populations are clearly depleted, such as the Western Mediterranean and the south Adriatic Sea. In addition, spatio‐temporal restrictions on fishing activities should be applied to protect either the areas where spawners concentrate for mating or the habitats used for parturition and serving as nurseries (Yates , Tobin, Heupel, & Simpfendorfer, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A century of fishery data documenting the collapse of smooth‐hounds (Mustelus spp.) in the Mediterranean Sea

Colloca

Enea

Ragonese

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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Conservation and management of shark populations is increasingly becoming important in many marine regions, since there is a growing body of evidence showing that several species are threatened and continuing to decline because of unregulated fishing. Quantifying the extent of sharks' decline, the risk of species extinction, and the consequences for marine ecosystems have been challenging and controversial, mostly due to data limitations. In this study, more than one century of multiple‐sources of bibliographic records on presence and frequency of occurrence of three species of commercial sharks, the smooth‐hounds Mustelus spp., in the Mediterranean Sea were compiled and analysed. Generalized additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) were used to estimate the rate of change of two of these species, Mustelus mustelus and Mustelus punctulatus, in four Mediterranean regions. Model results showed that smooth‐hounds have declined by 80–90% since the beginning of last century to almost disappear in a large part of their original distributional range during the 1980s and 1990s. Based on modelling results, a revision of the current International Union for Conservation of Nature classification of Mediterranean smooth‐hounds would be advisable along with the application of urgent conservation measures.

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“…Maximizing outcomes for shark and ray‐focused MPAs requires identifying, understanding and disentangling the social dimensions of success. While the broader MPA literature has made significant advances in this area (see Rossiter & Levine, ), research to date on the effectiveness of spatial protections for sharks and rays has focused almost exclusively on biological and biophysical aspects of success (Garla, Chapman, Wetherbee, & Shivji, ; Graham et al., ; Oh et al., ; Yates, Tobin, Heupel, & Simpfendorfer, ). Future studies could examine the social factors that contribute to successful outcomes in shark and ray‐focused MPAs, and explore how each factor links to specific outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharks, rays and marine protected areas: A critical evaluation of current perspectives

2018

Self Cite

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Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly advocated for the conservation and management of sharks and rays. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding which species can benefit from MPAs. Meanwhile, area‐focused protection targets have spurred recent and rapid gains in the creation of large MPAs, many of which carry vague objectives set by a diverse group of stakeholders with potentially different notions of “success.” Here, we capture and critically evaluate current views on the use of MPAs for shark and ray conservation. Through interviews with scientists, MPA managers, fisheries experts, conservation practitioners, advocates and policy experts (n = 53), we demonstrate a variety of perspectives regarding: (a) the effectiveness of MPAs as a tool for shark and ray conservation; (b) which factors influence the success of MPAs for sharks and rays; and (c) the desired outcomes of these MPAs. While MPAs created specifically for sharks and rays were viewed to be slightly more effective than regular MPAs as a tool for shark and ray conservation, both were generally considered insufficient in isolation. Despite greater emphasis on social success factors (e.g., local support) over biophysical success factors (e.g., size), biological outcomes (e.g., increased abundance) were prioritized over social outcomes (e.g., livelihood benefits). We argue that a stronger focus on achieving social outcomes can enhance the potential for MPAs to benefit sharks and rays. In revealing current thinking regarding the drivers and indicators of MPA success for sharks and rays, the results of this study can inform efforts to conserve and manage these species.

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Benefits of marine protected areas for tropical coastal sharks

Cited by 10 publications

References 66 publications

Relative efficacy of three approaches to mitigate Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Relative efficacy of three approaches to mitigate Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

A century of fishery data documenting the collapse of smooth‐hounds (Mustelus spp.) in the Mediterranean Sea

Sharks, rays and marine protected areas: A critical evaluation of current perspectives

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