Read on Twitter
Expanding MPAs by 5% could boost fish yields by 20%, but there’s a catch
@ConversationUK with @rick7575 on excellent @PNASNews paper - A global network of MPAs for food
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2000174117 @renielcabral @Enric_Sala @brenucsb @seadarcy @NG_PristineSeas https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
@ConversationUK with @rick7575 on excellent @PNASNews paper - A global network of MPAs for food
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2000174117 @renielcabral @Enric_Sala @brenucsb @seadarcy @NG_PristineSeas https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
Important study is 1st to predict, through mathematical modelling, that modest increase in the world’s MPAs could swell global seafood yields through spillover. But while the predictions sound good, we have to understand what pulling this off would entail http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2000174117
Discuss challenges to expanding global MPA network by 5% to boost yields 20%, particularly need to include productive inshore seas that are fished, not just low hanging fruit of vast remote MPAs in open oceans that account for most coverage @OceanAcademic https://theconversation.com/the-race-for-vast-remote-marine-protected-areas-may-be-a-diversion-64705
MPAs would need to be highly protected with no fishing. Only 2.4% of world’s ocean area has this status. Increasing this by a further 5% would mean ~trebling the coverage of highly protected MPAs, and that’s likely to encounter a great deal of resistance https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
Many fishers are sceptical that spillover can boost catches enough to compensate for losing the right to fish within MPAs and tend to strongly oppose proposals to designate more of them https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2004.10.003 OA http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfwpej/pdf/capntz.pdf
Eg. While 36% of waters around UK covered by MPAs, only 0.0024% has complete ban on all fishing. Increasing number & size of HPMPAs from these 4 small sites to 5% of UK’s sea area would represent more than a 2,000 X increase to which @NFFO_UK would object https://nffo.org.uk/news/industry-unites-to-oppose-benyon-report.html
Gaining the support of local fishers is crucial for ensuring fishing restrictions are successful. That support depends on fishers being able to influence decisions about MPAs, including where they’ll be located and what the degree of protection will be. https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
But the new study assumes that designing highly protected MPA networks is mostly a matter of modelling, implying that fishers currently operating in an area would have little say in whether their fishing grounds will close. https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
But this study is still important & valuable. It provides further evidence on how MPAs can serve as important tools in conserving marine habitats, managing fisheries sustainably and making food supplies more secure. https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
It’s important to stress the political challenges of implementing HPMPAS, but most scientists agree that more MPAs are needed. Scientists are currently pushing to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 https://www.woi.economist.com/the-need-to-protect-at-least-30-of-the-ocean-by-2030/ @CoralReefFish
If we start implementing more highly protected MPAs we can gather more evidence of spillover benefits. This could convince more fishers of their vital role in boosting catches, also keeping people fed & restoring ocean ecosystems @ConversationUK @rick7575 https://theconversation.com/expanding-marine-protected-areas-by-5-could-boost-fish-yields-by-20-but-theres-a-catch-148678
