Rapid recovery of depleted abalone in Isla Natividad, Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

In the last decades, many marine invertebrates have experienced dramatic declines throughout many coastal marine ecosystems worldwide due to overfishing, disease outbreaks, and climate vulnerability. Despite extensive conservation and restoration effort, evidence of successful population recovery is rare. In this work, we document mass mortality events of pink and green abalone (Haliotis corrugata and Haliotis fulgens) in 2009–2010, and their subsequent rapid recovery following the continued enforcement and monitoring of two voluntary no‐take reserves by the local fishing cooperative (2006–present) and a 6‐year fishing closure (2012–2017) around Isla Natividad, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Age data collected from harvested abalone in 2019 suggest recruitment was maintained throughout the years when abundance was lowest following mass mortalities. The observed 6 to 8‐year time frame for recovery is consistent with scenarios presented in previous modeling studies, where marine reserves and other measures aimed at protecting large spawners predicted the potential for rapid recovery of abalone populations. This case study supports the effectiveness of a portfolio of resilience strategies, which include combining climate refugia and marine reserves, adherence to conservative annual fishing quotas, fishing closures, minimum size limitations, and ecological monitoring. Importantly, this example showcases how close collaboration between fishers, resource managers, scientists, and non‐governmental organization (NGOs) is critical for designing, implementing, and learning from conservation and management interventions to reverse marine population and ecosystem decline, reinforcing the legacy of Dr. Pete Peterson's life work on fully integrating ecology with marine management and restoration.

Influence of Kelp Forest Biomass on Nearshore Currents

“…Thus, planktotrophic and lecitotrophic larvae would be transported farther alongshore, during their planktonic stages from where they are spawned in the absence of kelp than when kelp is present. Consequently, kelp presence may act to increase self‐recruitment thus increasing larval spillover from marine reserves to local fishing grounds (e.g., Cudney‐Bueno et al., 2009; Micheli et al., 2012) and the potential resilience of the abalone population following severe depletion (Smith et al., 2022). In contrast, the potential for long distance dispersal events increases dramatically when kelp is absent, providing a plausible mechanism for high regional connectivity and reducing the overall genetic structure of populations with limited larval durations and dispersal ability (Munguia‐Vega et al., 2015).…”

Introduction: Honoring the contribution of Charles H. Peterson (1946–2020) to the field of marine ecology

“…Paxton et al (2022) provide a framework for better incorporating ecological principles, adaptive management, and experiments in the siting, design, construction, and evaluation of artificial reefs in the coastal ocean. To wrap up the Special Feature , Smith et al (2022) and Lenihan et al (2022) report on the ecological impacts of fishing and the use of marine reserves and collaborative fishery research in recovering, restoring, and managing coastal marine fisheries. In summary, the papers in our Special Feature represent a great tribute to the legacy of Charles H. Peterson and are research contributions that would have made him proud.…”

Marine protected areas promote resilience of kelp forests to marine heatwaves by preserving trophic cascades

“…Some studies have found no evidence that MPAs confer resilience to climate impacts (Bruno et al, 2018;Freedman et al, 2020; J. G. Smith et al, 2023). On the other hand, other studies have shown increased resilience to climate change in MPAs: for instance, in Baja California, Mexico, juvenile recruitment and adult abundance of pink and green abalone recovered faster within MPAs following a mass mortality of benthic invertebrates due to climate-driven hypoxia and warming (Micheli et al, 2012;A. Smith et al, 2022).…”

“…On the other hand, other studies have shown increased resilience to climate change in MPAs: for instance, in Baja California, Mexico, juvenile recruitment and adult abundance of pink and green abalone recovered faster within MPAs following a mass mortality of benthic invertebrates due to climate-driven hypoxia and warming (Micheli et al, 2012; A. Smith et al, 2022). In California, USA, species diversity recovered 75% faster from a series of MHWs within MPAs compared to adjacent unprotected areas (Ziegler et al, 2023).…”