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Densities of macrobenthic invertebrates and macro-algae in four Tasmanian ‘no-take’ marine protected areas (MPAs) were monitored annually for 10 years following MPA establishment, with changes compared to those at external (fished) reference locations. Fishing substantially influenced the population characteristics of many species, including altering the mean size and abundance of rock lobsters and the abundance of prey species such as urchins and abalone. Strong declines in abundances of purple urchins and abalone within the largest MPA at Maria Island indicate likely indirect effects related to protection of predators from fishing. The two smallest MPAs (ca. 1 km coastal span) generated few detectable changes. Our results affirm the importance of long-term monitoring and the value of MPAs, when sufficiently large, as reference areas for determining and understanding ecosystem effects of fishing in the absence of historical baseline data.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Abalone; Effects of fishing; Marine protected area; Reserve size; Rock lobster; Sea urchin
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
UTAS Author:	Barrett, NS (Associate Professor Neville Barrett)
UTAS Author:	Buxton, CD (Professor Colin Buxton)
UTAS Author:	Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar)
ID Code:	60503
Year Published:	2009
Web of Science® Times Cited:	97
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2010-02-09
Last Modified:	2011-02-10
Downloads:	40 View Download Statistics