Resource Management Issues: Marine Protected Areas

Existing marine "No-Take" reserves within the MBNMS (Click for larger view)

"Marine protected area" is an umbrella term for a managed area in the marine environment that provides some level of resource protection. As a type of management tool, MPAs may employ a range of strategies to protect the marine environment - from prohibiting the harvesting of marine life, allowing take of selected species, or restricting other kinds of human activities. Besides having different levels of protection and use, MPAs vary dramatically in size and shape, protect a range of natural or cultural resources, and are established under a variety of authorities. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) is a marine protected area itself, as some human activities that could harm the sanctuary's health, such as oil drilling, ocean discharges or seabed mining, are restricted or prohibited in sanctuary waters.

MPA is not the only term used to describe marine areas with different goals or levels of protection. Often a variety of related terms are used, such as marine park, marine preserve, marine reserve, national marine sanctuary, national seashore, etc. One common misconception is that all MPAs are "no-take" marine reserves closed to public use. In fact, most MPAs, like the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, are managed for multiple uses. Currently less than 1% of the world's oceans and less than .01% of U.S. waters are encompassed by no-take marine reserves. Within the MBNMS, three, small no-take reserves have been designated by the state of California, comprising less than .01% of sanctuary waters.

Scientific research has shown that carefully crafted marine protected areas (MPAs) - particularly those that restrict or prohibit the removal of marine life - can be effective tools for conserving the diversity of animals and plants, protecting habitats, and increasing both numbers and individual sizes of some species. A well-designed MPA, in which the removal or alteration of marine life is prohibited or restricted, generally contains a greater abundance of species, higher diversity of species, and larger fish within its boundaries relative to similar habitats outside the protected area. These larger fish produce many more young than do smaller fish, and studies for some species have shown that their young are healthier and more likely to survive. MPAs are a useful tool for preventing, slowing, or reversing the degradation of ocean habitats and maintaining the diversity and abundance of species inhabiting them.	Abundance of rockfish species in and outside of local marine reserves. Figure courtesy of Steven Palumbi.
There are some potential costs associated with MPAs as well. When designing or designating new MPAs, managers need to take into consideration socioeconomic impacts to fishermen, existing fishery management measures, and the potential for fishing effort to shift into other areas. Often, through careful planning and dialogue with the fishing community, these impacts can be minimized while still achieving the desired ecological goals.
Bigger fish produce more babies. Figure courtesy of PISCO & Donna Schroeder.

During the scoping period of the Joint Management Plan Review (see below), the National Marine Sanctuary Program received approximately 7,000 public comments requesting greater ecosystem protection for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary through the establishment of a network of MPAs. In addtion, a petition with 1,500 signatures was also submitted listing concerns about adopting marine reserves in the sanctuary. MPAs was by far the most heavily raised issue, with both support and concern expressed from Californians as well as residents of nearly every state. The Sanctuary Advisory Council also identified the consideration of new MPAs as a priority issue to be addressed in the new management plan. Similar to the MLPA efforts in state waters (generally within three nautical miles of shore), the MBNMS is now considering using marine protected areas as a management tool in federal waters (beyond three nautical miles). The MBNMS is considering the need for new MPAs and their potential locations for several reasons:

1. Tiger rockfish (Sebastes nigrocinctus). Photo: King

   To restore naturally functioning ecosystems and ecological health in sanctuary waters. For example, millions of boccacio, a large and long-lived predatory rockfish, have been harvested from deep-water habitats within the sanctuary over the past few decades. Overharvesting has caused their population to plummet to below 8% of their original abundance. When a severe decline of an important species like this occurs, fishery management agencies must take drastic measures to recover the population. Such depleted populations not only have serious consequences for the health of the region's fisheries, but for the well-being and integrity of the ecosystems in which they reside.
   
   

2. Leafy hornmouth (Ceratostoma foliatum) and rainbow star (Orthasterias koehleri). Photo: Lonhart

   To provide areas where marine research and monitoring can occur apart from the extraction of animals and plants. Only a small percentage (less than .01%) of the sanctuary contains areas where extractive activities are restricted, affording complete protection. The sanctuary features a wide array of habitats, from wave-swept rocky shores to deep submarine canyons. Without having representative habitats protected in their natural state, free from human harvest or extraction, it is difficult for resource managers and researchers to distinguish between human-induced and natural changes in the ecosystem.
   
   
3. To provide ecological 'insurance' against environmental variability and unintentional mismanagment. Natural changes to the environment occur in the ocean, just as they do on land. If biological communities are substantially altered by humans, their ability to resist or recover from environmental change or natural disturbance is compromised.

Fishing boat in Monterey Harbor. Photo: Damitz

• Forming partnerships with stakeholders and other agencies to facilitate plan implementation
• Developing clear goals and identifying the habitats or ecological processes that could benefit from increased protection
• Developing criteria for designing effective MPAs considering biological factors, human use patterns, size and scale and practical implementation issues
• Determining the types of allowed use
• Conducting socioeconomic impact analyses and identifying mitigation efforts
• Integrating MPAs with other ocean management measures and agencies
• Developing programs for enforcement and compliance, education and outreach, and research and monitoring
• Determining timing strategies, phasing options and evaluation criteria

The MBNMS MPA working group is considering the utility of and potential locations for new MPA's in federal waters within the sanctuary, south of Pigeon Point View full-size map (36KB PDF)