Marine protected areas boost local economies, study finds

Bans on fishing and other human activities in marine protected areas (MPAs) have long pitted environmentalists against fishing interests, but a new study shows that nearby fisheries benefit from these areas.

This study was conducted in the United States considering establishing The world’s largest marine protected area, located in the Pacific Ocean southwest of HawaiiAccording to a review in Science magazine, “fisheries remain a major contributor to food security… and revenue generation” in waters BMC Public Health.

Study author Mark Costello, a professor of biological sciences and aquaculture at Nord University in Norway, reviewed 51 studies of marine protected areas. He found that catches from neighboring fisheries had increased at 39 of the fisheries since the designation of marine reserves.

The National Geographic Society estimates that there are approximately 5,000 marine protected areas around the world, covering 0.8% of the world’s oceans.

Costello said the study’s data provide economic incentives for the 2022 goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 set by the Conference of the Parties’ Global Biodiversity Framework.

“If we think about [MPAs] As a benefit to the fishery, it completely changes the perception from setting aside 30% that no one can do to actually having 30% equate to money in the bank,” Costello said via Zoom on March 27 Said in an interview with Voice of America.

He said traditional Aboriginal communities often protected certain areas so fish could spawn because they wanted to ensure fish were available “during periods of crisis when other food supplies are unavailable.”

Fish in the reserve “will grow bigger, lay more eggs, and spill over into neighboring areas. So, you get these benefits,” Costello added.

Last year, the United States took a big step toward achieving the 30 percent goal.

In March 2023, US President Joe Biden proposed establishing a marine protected area on nearly 2 million square kilometers of remote Pacific islands, saying it would be “the largest marine protected area on earth.”

of the Marine Conservation Institute Marine Conservation Atlas It shows that the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area is the largest marine protected area, covering an area of ​​1.9 million square kilometres.

The marine protected area proposed by Biden is larger than the 1.5 million square kilometers of protected areas established by President Barack Obama in 2016, and dwarfs the three protected areas established by President George W. Bush in 2009 to protect the Pacific Ocean. A protected area of ​​300,000 square kilometers has been established in some remote areas. An island chain that is a property of the United States.

Biden’s proposal has faced resistance in the Pacific islands, where residents feel there won’t be enough time for public input on permanent changes to their fishing access.

“When you try to create something permanent… 45 days to take it away from people Walking is not enough.” , U.S. Territory.

According to the Marine Conservation Atlas, two of the three largest marine protected areas are in the Pacific Ocean. These include fishing grounds off the coast of Hawaii, as well as the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Marshall Islands.

Costello said not all MPAs were permanent, adding that it was important to consider reviewing MPAs designations.

“Maybe in 20 years everything should be re-examined,” he said. “The next generation should have a say.”

Ray Hilborn is a professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington and serves on the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which covers Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Several islands in the Pacific Ocean. Remote island areas.

The committee opposes Biden’s proposed protected areas, and Hilburn said marine protected areas are not a “magic bullet” for Pacific conservation.

“Most of the world’s marine protected areas are established in countries with well-managed fisheries, such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, where these benefits do not occur,” he said in the report. Interviewed by VOA Zoom on March 27.

Hilburn also said marine protected areas could harm fisheries, especially when implemented Areas without overfishing problemsas is the case with the Biden administration’s sanctuary proposal.

He cited a study published in the May 2020 edition of Ocean Policy on the 2016 expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The study concluded that the MPAs designation resulted in a 7% decrease in catch per effort and a reduction in revenue per catch and a 9% reduction in travel costs, or $3.5 million, in the first 16 months after enactment in June 2006. .

Hilborn said Costello’s research supports the illusion that “you are really protecting” the ocean, but “real protection comes from actions.” Those actions are regulating fisheries [and] Reduce bycatch” – fish caught by a fleet that the crew cannot sell, does not want, or is not allowed to keep.