MPA News
Tsunami Aftermath: Pulau Weh, Indonesia
Last month, MPA News reported on efforts to assess impacts of the Indian Ocean tsunami on MPAs and marine resources (MPA News 6:7). Resource managers, scientists, and volunteers throughout the region continue their work to document the damage and, in some cases, begin repair of natural structures, such as coral reefs. Marjan van der Burg operates the Lumba Lumba Diving Centre on the island of Pulau Weh, in the Indonesian province of Aceh. Pulau Weh has a 2.8-km2, no-take marine nature park, Taman Wisata Pulau Weh Sabang, managed by a governmental nature conservation agency, KSDA. MPA News spoke with Van…
Notes & News
Fishery managers vote to close 950,000 km2 of North Pacific to bottom trawling Managers of US fisheries in the North Pacific voted in February to prohibit bottom trawling in nearly one million square kilometers of water in an effort to minimize the effects of fishing on sensitive coral and sponge habitat. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which recommends management actions to the federal fisheries agency (NOAA Fisheries), voted to close 950,000 km2 of its Aleutian Islands management area within the US Exclusive Economic Zone to bottom trawling. This would leave 4% of that management area, or 43,000 km2, open…
Assessing Tsunami Damage to Indian Ocean MPAs: Efforts Underway to Find Answers Amid Chaos
The Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004 brought catastrophic human suffering to coastal communities in South and Southeast Asia. It also affected many marine ecosystems in the region, through broken coral reefs, sedimentation, and piling of debris, among other impacts. Efforts are underway region-wide to assess the undersea damage from the disaster, including effects on MPAs. Such efforts have not been easy. Tsunami damage to research vessels has delayed surveys in some areas, while scientists elsewhere have had to develop assessment methods on the fly, unprepared for a rare tsunami event in the region. This month, MPA News examines…
Scientists: UK Should Set Aside 30% of Waters as No-Take Reserves
A total of 30% of UK marine waters should be placed off-limits to commercial fishing to protect ocean habitats and save threatened fish species, according to a report by Britain’s Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP), an independent body that provides non-binding advice to the UK government. Calling for “radical change” in UK fisheries management, the report also proposes introduction of a marine zoning system, a ban on deep-sea trawling in UK waters, and reduction of UK fishing capacity, as well as payments to fishermen to ease their adjustment to a network of marine reserves. The report incorporated submissions from…
Notes & News
Fuel spill kills birds in Alaskan MPA The grounding of a bulk freighter on 8 December 2004 off the coast of Alaska (US) has resulted in the spill of an estimated 225,000 gallons (850,000 liters) of fuel oil into nearshore waters of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, or AMNWR. At least 35 miles (56 km) of shoreline have suffered some form of oiling, with more than 10 miles (16 km) coated with a thick, brown layer of oil and tar balls, now undergoing cleanup. Field crews have collected more than 1500 dead seabirds and documented extensive scavenging of oiled…
Letter to the Editor
Dear MPA News: In light of your article on invasive species (MPA News 6:6), it is worth noting that marine protected areas, if not planned carefully, could unintentionally enhance populations of such introduced species. As a case in point, federal no-take zones now under consideration to restore stocks of deepwater reef fishes off the Atlantic coast of the southeastern US could benefit populations of the introduced Pacific red lionfish, whose areas of maximum abundance in the region coincide with several sites proposed for bottom-fishing prohibitions by the (US) South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. One of the objectives of the proposed…
Invasive Species: Their Threat to MPAs, and How Practitioners Are Responding
Owing in large part to increased globalization of shipping, the unintentional transfer of plants and animals from one water body to another worldwide has boomed in recent decades; many bays near major ports are now host to dozens or even hundreds of non-native species. Some of these visitors thrive in their new habitats, outcompeting native species and changing ecosystems, sometimes dramatically. For MPAs, such invasions pose a major threat, particularly when management is unprepared for them. Nonetheless, due to unfamiliarity with the problem, shortage of funds, or other reasons, there have been few cases worldwide in which MPA practitioners have…
Advice to Managers on Invasions: Imène Meliane, IUCN Global Marine Programme
Editor’s note: Imène Meliane is marine program officer for the IUCN Global Marine Programme, and has been active on marine invasive species issues around the world, most extensively in the Mediterranean and South America. MPA News requested her insights on invasive species and her advice to MPA managers. Below is her response, aided by contributions from Marnie Campbell and Chad Hewitt, both of Biosecurity New Zealand: “Anecdotally, there is a propensity for protected areas to be invaded. MPAs are points of significant attraction for marine tourism, including recreational boating, yachting, the diving and snorkeling industry, and, where allowed, recreational and…
IUCN Recommends Temporary Ban on High-Seas Bottom Trawling
IUCN, the World Conservation Union, has called on the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 to place an interim ban on bottom trawling on the high seas until a legally binding management regime is established to conserve deep-sea biodiversity from the impacts of such fishing activity. Furthermore, IUCN recommends that the UN call in 2006 for a similar interim ban in areas covered by regional fisheries management organizations, again until protective management measures are in place. The IUCN recommendations, made at the World Conservation Congress in Bangkok (Thailand) in November, carry the force of the organization’s full membership, consisting of…
Toolkit Provides Quick, All-Purpose Guide for MPA Managers in Western Indian Ocean
MPA managers in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), like their peers in many parts of the world, must deal with a multitude of situations and challenges on a daily basis, often in remote locations and without easy reference to sources of information or assistance. A new “toolkit” aims to help them. Consisting of themed briefs arranged in a ring-binder, the toolkit offers a quick and expert guide to a diverse array of topics, including communications, financing, energy sources, solid waste disposal, coral monitoring, fisheries, and many more. It is designed to address management issues relevant to all types of MPAs…