Rapid Effects of Marine Reserves via Larval Dispersal
PISCO PI Pete Raimondi is co-author on a recently published study validating one of the principle concepts behind the use of marine protected areas. Using marine reserves, (marine protected areas that are assigned the highest level of protection, prohibiting all forms of fishing and resource extraction) Raimondi tested the theory that marine reserves can benefit fisheries via spillover of adults and enhanced larval dispersal from protected sites.
Predictions, made for larval dispersal and recruitment using larval transport models were verified using field oceanography and density counts of commercial mollusks before and after reserve establishment.
Findings showed that spatially explicit recruitment to local fisheries areas occurred rapidly at the downstream edge of the reserve network but other fishing areas were unaffected. Illustrating the need for protection of larval sources in the overall concept of marine network design but those benefits can vary enormously depending on the local seascape.
Citation
Cudney-Bueno R, Lavín MF, Marinone SG, Raimondi PT, Shaw WW (2009) Rapid Effects of Marine Reserves via Larval Dispersal. PLoS ONE 4(1): e4140. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0004140
Associated Press.