Managers need data not only on fish locations and populations, but also on threats from predators and fishermen. Optimal data analysis would be conducted throughout the process to both guide the MPA’s design and assess its effectiveness once it’s implemented, but greater attention and resource allocation must be given to these critical data efforts.
4. Management:
One of the biggest hurdles to effective management of MPA is a lack of clear objectives needed to indicate success and the capacity to carry out these goals. Though we use the term “protected”, as mentioned earlier, MPAs may have vastly different laws depending on their home country. In Canada, 160 of the country’s 161 MPAs allowed some form of commercial fishing in 2011. So, while they do offer other forms of protection, many MPAs are still at risk of harmful exploitation through commercial fishing practices. In the U.S. government, fragmentation of responsibility often leads to differing goals between agencies, and the term Marine Protected Area does not necessarily indicate any specific level of protection. In other countries where many MPAs reside, governments do not have the capacity to effectively enforce the laws that protect marine species.
Management deficiencies like these don’t have to be the norm, however, and continuing research shows the way forward in best protecting our marine habitats. MPAs can offer critical protections to migratory and non-migratory marine species alike, and if we demand smart, well-resourced and managed areas like these, we can ensure that our special marine places remain special for years to come.
December 2016 - Conservation Comments
44 - SEVENSEAS