{"id":2980,"date":"2021-10-22T08:28:37","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T08:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/?p=2980"},"modified":"2021-10-22T08:31:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T08:31:23","slug":"marine-conservation-the-power-of-exclusive-economic-zones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/2021\/10\/22\/marine-conservation-the-power-of-exclusive-economic-zones\/","title":{"rendered":"New Publication: Comparing the Performance of Four Very Large Marine Protected Areas with Different Levels of Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"bulletPoints\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"yiv6576761802gmail_signature\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>A new paper by Veronica Relano-Ecija has assessed the power of Exclusive Economic Zones by comparing four large MPAs with different levels of protection.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">Key findings of the paper include :<\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<ul>\n<li>Assessing and comparing the performance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) is necessary to inform conservation policy-making.<\/li>\n<li>MPAs and similar place-based tools for protecting marine biodiversity have ecological and social benefits only if fishing regulation, monitoring and enforcement are not undermined by political short-termism.<\/li>\n<li>Well-enforced EEZs also allow for effective governance and protection of marine resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>Download the paper :\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/watersciencepolicy.com\/article\/marine-conservation-the-power-of-exclusive-economic-zones-ec8af9d4a750?language=English\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" shape=\"rect\">https:\/\/watersciencepolicy.com\/article\/marine-conservation-the-power-of-exclusive-economic-zones-ec8af9d4a750?language=English<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>View the paper details below<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">In the Pacific, the idea of protecting certain areas is anchored in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nature13947#citeas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ancient notion of sacred sites, \u201ctapu\u201d<\/a>\u00a0areas, a traditional Polynesian concept. Over the last century, this idea has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/oryx\/article\/assessing-progress-towards-global-marine-protection-targets-shortfalls-in-information-and-action\/EF418AD812099E290DBAC3CFF5E88D49\">evolved<\/a>. It is now\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/oryx\/article\/marine-protection-targets-an-updated-assessment-of-global-progress\/3849DD951D775B9B125F120CA7D37F01\">globally accepted<\/a>, modified and implemented under the concept of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Many governments have scaled up their ambitions and efforts to achieve environmental protection targets, including protecting as much 10% of their waters by 2020 or 30% by 2030 &#8211; a target that is presently out of reach. With\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.protectedplanet.net\/marine\">7.7 %<\/a>\u00a0of the ocean protected, the 2020 target has de facto been missed. Currently,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mpatlas.org\/\">\u00a0only 2.7% of the ocean is fully or highly protected from fishing impacts<\/a>. As\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/full\/10.1126\/science.abf0861\">The MPA Guide<\/a>highlighted, quantifying how much of the ocean\u2019s biodiversity is effectively protected is challenging, but we are closer to connecting MPA science to policy and action.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">In practice, well-managed MPAs do\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1890\/1051-0761%282003%29013%5B0003%3APAHITO%5D2.0.CO%3B2\">not only conserve nature<\/a>, but also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/387253a0\">contribute economic, recreational and cultural value to society<\/a>\u00a0by sustainably providing crucial ecosystem services, including biodiversity, food security and carbon storage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">However, countries also have the possibility of utilizing their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as a tool to protect and manage marine resources.\u00a0 Coastal states can claim an EEZ that extends to 200 nautical miles off their shores (see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.refworld.org\/docid\/3dd8fd1b4.html\">United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea<\/a>, UNCLOS).<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">In my\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/13\/17\/9572\">latest paper<\/a>\u00a0(Relano et al., 2021), I compare the performance of four Large Scale Marine Protected Areas (Hawaii, Galapagos, New Caledonia, Pitcairn) in regards to fishing intensity for different commercial marine species, using the historical catch reconstructions of exploited taxa from 1950 to 2018, as calculated by the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.seaaroundus.org\/\">Sea Around Us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"space-bot q-mt-lg space-bot-img-article\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"q-img overflow-hidden\" role=\"img\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\" aria-label=\"Article image\">\n<div class=\"q-img__content absolute-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2981 \" src=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites-300x171.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"481\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites-1536x877.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites-1320x754.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/4Studysites.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 481px) 100vw, 481px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Figure 1 &#8211; The four study sites studied with information on EEZ and MPAs and their no-take borders.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/13\/17\/9572\/htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<h4 data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Assessing performance of Marine Protected Areas<\/h4>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Reconstruction fisheries catch<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Foreign catch declined radically following EEZ implementation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Pitcairn and New Caledonia (Figure 2). These three EEZs belong to the US, UK and France, i.e., entities with greater means to suppress foreign fishing. In the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Pitcairn, this resulted in a radical reduction of total catch, while in New Caledonia, this led to a replacement of foreign catch by local catch. This suggests that establishing clear\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10750-011-0665-9\">property rights of fisheries resources through EEZs allows effective governance of fisheries<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Contrary to what we see in the Pitcairn and Hawaiian Islands, the establishment of EEZs in the Galapagos Islands and New Caledonia does not coincide with changes in total catch (Figure 2). Instead, catch increases over time, independently of EEZ establishment. Generally, the EEZ declaration had a much bigger impact on catches around these four territories than the subsequent creation of the Large Scale MPAs (LSMPAs).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"space-bot q-mt-lg space-bot-img-article\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"q-img overflow-hidden\" role=\"img\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\" aria-label=\"Article image\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2982 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018-300x161.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018-1024x548.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018-768x411.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018-1536x822.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018-1320x707.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Total-catch-from-1950-to-2018.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"q-img__image absolute-full\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"q-img__content absolute-full\">Figure 2 &#8211; Total catch from 1950 to 2018 (extracted from the Sea Around Us database) at the four study sites, showing main fishing countries. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/13\/17\/9572\/htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">The creation of Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea in 2006 had minimal impact on total catch because only a few lobster boats based in the main Hawaiian Islands were licensed to operate within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0165783619302346?via%3Dihub\">US tuna fleet<\/a>, which operated in the entire EEZ before the extension of Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea , was also minimally affected because the catch from these areas constitutes a very small fraction of their total withdrawals. In fact, there was not much fishing around Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea (Figure\u00a03A).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Similarly, the declaration of the MPA had no noticeable effect on the catch around the Pitcairn Islands (Figure\u00a03B) and New Caledonia (Figure\u00a03C), albeit for different reasons. In the Pitcairn Islands (MPA established in 2016), foreign fleets were already absent since the declaration of the EEZ in 1997. On the other hand, in New Caledonia, the establishment of an MPA in 2014,\u00a0 covering almost the entire EEZ, was not accompanied by any measures designed to limit fishing operations in what is supposed to be the \u201cParc Naturel de la Mer de Corail.\u201d Indeed,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/la1ere.francetvinfo.fr\/nouvellecaledonie\/trois-palangriers-neufs-rejoignent-flotte-navimon-790463.html\">fishing effort increased<\/a>\u00a0in the \u2018Parc Naturel\u2019 since its declaration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">It is in the Galapagos Archipelago (MPA established in 1998) where the situation is most complex (Figure\u00a03D). Even though the no-take areas only occupy 1\u00a0% of the MPA (or 0.2\u00a0% of the EEZ), the lack of consultation and participation of the small-scale fishers during the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/08941920.2020.1765058\">MPA creation has led to many disputes<\/a>. As a result, conservation efforts had little support on the island. This is despite Galapagos\u2019\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41558-020-0761-9\">dependence on tourism<\/a>, which itself depends on a healthy marine ecosystem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2983 \" src=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel-300x166.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"369\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel-1024x567.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel-768x426.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel-1536x851.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel-1320x732.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-by-recorded-vessel.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 369px) 100vw, 369px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"space-bot q-mt-lg space-bot-img-article\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"q-img overflow-hidden\" role=\"img\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\" aria-label=\"Article image\">\n<div class=\"q-img__content absolute-full\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Figure 3 &#8211; Fishing by recorded vessel effort in the four study sites: (A) Northwest Islands of Hawaii, (B) Pitcairn, (C) Galapagos and (D) New Caledonia. The yellow dots and the color intensity reflect the fishing effort in a specific place.<a href=\"https:\/\/globalfishingwatch.org\/map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<h5 data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Fishing down marine food webs<\/h5>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">The continuous exploitation and gradual erosion of the natural resource base in New Caledonia and the Galapagos Islands is illustrated by a reduction in the mean trophic level (TL) of catch. The mean TL indicates shifts in catch from large, high trophic levels, to small lower trophic level species. The presence of large species is generally linked to ecosystem health. In both cases, the decline of mean trophic levels (TLs) was more pronounced inshore than offshore, which is to be expected, given that there are fewer small, low-trophic level species offshore (Figure 4).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2984 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-241x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"241\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-821x1024.jpg 821w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-768x958.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-1231x1536.jpg 1231w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-1642x2048.jpg 1642w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level-1320x1647.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Changes-in-mean-trophic-level.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 241px) 100vw, 241px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"space-bot q-mt-lg space-bot-img-article\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"q-img overflow-hidden\" role=\"img\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\" aria-label=\"Article image\">\n<div class=\"q-img__content absolute-full\">Figure 4 &#8211; Changes in mean trophic level (TL) of the catch, or Marine Trophic Index (MTI) from 1950 to 2018 in the New Caledonia EEZ (top panel) and the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands EEZ (bottom panel). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/13\/17\/9572\/htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<h5 data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Fishing the line<\/h5>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Fishing the line occurs when fishing vessels operate along the edge of MPAs, marine reserves or other areas with higher resource biomass, which tend to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.1126\/science.294.5548.1920\">\u2018spill over\u2019 their border<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2985 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-300x101.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-300x101.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1024x343.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-768x258.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1536x515.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1140x380.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-380x127.jpg 380w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1320x443.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Figure\u00a05 illustrates two levels of \u2018fishing the line\u2019 around the Galapagos Islands. The first level is represented by non-Ecuadorian vessels fishing at the southern edge of the Galapagos EEZ (Figure\u00a05A).<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Operations of this sort by a Chinese squid fleet were the subject of intense,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2020\/sep\/17\/chinese-fishing-armada-plundered-waters-around-galapagos-data-shows\">negative press coverage<\/a>. Figure\u00a05B documents fishing at the edge of the Galapagos LSMPA, i.e., within the Galapagos EEZ, by Ecuadorian vessels and vessels from other countries presumably with agreements to access the Galapagos EEZ.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Also note that the non-occurrence of fishing the line does not necessarily imply that a marine reserve or MPA was badly designed because it does not generate \u2018spill-over\u2019. Rather, it may be due to the border area of the marine reserve or MPA being less productive or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/eap.1446\">not including desired habitats<\/a>. For example, spill-over around the Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea Marine National Monument is not expected as there are\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wpcouncil.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Final-Bigeye-Workshop-Report.pdf\">no nurseries or spawning grounds around the LSMPA for the target species<\/a>\u00a0of the Hawaiian longline fishery.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"space-bot q-mt-lg space-bot-img-article\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"q-img overflow-hidden\" role=\"img\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\" aria-label=\"Article image\">\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2985 \" src=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-300x101.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"422\" height=\"142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-300x101.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1024x343.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-768x258.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1536x515.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1140x380.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-380x127.jpg 380w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos-1320x443.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Fishing-the-line-in-the-Galapagos.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"q-img__content absolute-full\">Figure 5 &#8211; Fishing the line in the Galapagos is shown with yellow dots that represent fishing effort. A: Demonstrates fishing the line in the EEZ of Galapagos in September 2020. B: Shows fishing the line around the Galapagos Marine Reserve in December 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/globalfishingwatch.org\/map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<h4 data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">Take-away<\/h4>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">The operations of industrial fisheries within an EEZ can cause substantial damage to the biodiversity therein. A global decline of catch is not due to a decline in fishing effort or to the establishment of marine reserves. Rather, it is due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0272771419307644?via%3Dihub\">excessive fishing pressure on fish populations globally<\/a>. Identifying the best tool to conserve marine ecosystems is therefore crucial.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">We show that well-enforced EEZs allow for effective governance and protection of marine resources. In Pitcairn and the Northwest islands of Hawaii, the establishment of EEZs had a strong effect on fisheries, directly and substantially reducing foreign industrial fishing. Therefore, the subsequent impact of the LSMPA establishment on catch was very small in both Northwestern Hawaii and Pitcairn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">In New Caledonia and the Galapagos Islands, the EEZ implementation resulted in foreign fleets being replaced by a local industrial fleet. In New Caledonia, the subsequent designation of the entire EEZ as a huge MPA, the \u2018Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail\u2019, had no effect whatsoever on catch, because it is in effect a \u2018paper park\u2019, involving no restrictions on the operation and growth of the local industrial fishery.<\/p>\n<div class=\"delimitor\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block\" data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\">In the end, it is not so much about the kind of legal designation of an area that determines successful conservation of the ecosystems in it, but rather about the appropriate institutional, legal and technical capacity that need to come together to design, monitor and enforce protection of marine biodiversity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-v-4c42ceb8=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/watersciencepolicy.com\/article\/marine-conservation-the-power-of-exclusive-economic-zones-ec8af9d4a750?language=English\">Source of news article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new paper by Veronica Relano-Ecija has assessed the power of Exclusive Economic Zones by comparing four large MPAs with different levels of protection. Key findings of the paper include : Assessing and comparing the performance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) is necessary to inform conservation policy-making. MPAs and similar<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/2021\/10\/22\/marine-conservation-the-power-of-exclusive-economic-zones\/\" class=\"more-link themebutton\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[151,128,88],"class_list":["post-2980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-events","tag-exclusive-economic-zones","tag-marine-conservation","tag-marine-protected-areas-mpas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2980"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2990,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980\/revisions\/2990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wiomsa.org\/wiompan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}