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Development of New Methods for Quantifying Fish Density Using Underwater Stereo-video Tools

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Published on: November 20, 2017

Pelagic protected areas: the missing dimension in ocean conservation.

Edward T Game¹, Hedley S Grantham, Alistair J Hobday

¹The Nature Conservancy, South Brisbane, QLD 4101, Australia. egame@tnc.org

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|March 28, 2009

Summary

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are crucial for pelagic conservation. Despite criticisms, recent scientific advances show MPAs are feasible and effective tools for protecting the dynamic open ocean environment.

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Area of Science:

Marine conservation science
Oceanography
Fisheries science

Background:

The pelagic ocean has fewer protected areas than any other ecosystem.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) face criticisms regarding feasibility in dynamic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

To address criticisms of pelagic MPAs.
To demonstrate the defensibility and feasibility of MPAs for pelagic conservation.

Main Methods:

Review of recent advances in conservation, oceanography, and fisheries science.
Argumentation for the efficacy of place-based management in the pelagic zone.

Main Results:

Scientific advances provide evidence and tools to overcome challenges of pelagic MPAs.
MPAs are confirmed as defensible and feasible instruments for pelagic conservation.

Conclusions:

MPAs are viable tools for pelagic conservation.
Further implementation of pelagic MPAs is necessary to resolve debates on their efficacy compared to other conservation measures.