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Data compiled by volunteer divers were utilised in a continental-scale investigation of ecological differences between reefs in no-take sanctuary zones in marine protected areas (MPAs) and adjacent fished zones. In a validation analysis, volunteer-generated data were found to be comparable to data obtained by scientific dive teams for all metrics investigated: estimated total number of species, total faunal abundance, mean fish size, and faunal composition of species sighted along transects. Variation between individual divers within volunteer and professional groups also contributed little to total estimated variance between transects compared to residual variation between replicate transects, variation between sites, and variation between regions studied. Sites in 11 MPAs distributed around 5000 km of the Australian coastline had significantly more large (>30 cm) fishes and total fish biomass than nearby fished reference sites. For the older MPAs, fishes belonging to the largest size class (¡Ý80 cm) were observed approximately 10 times more often in sanctuary zones than in fished zones, while fishes in the smallest size class (2.5 cm) occurred at densities approximately 4 times higher in fished zones than in sanctuary zones. Results of our empirical field surveys contrast in several respects with outcomes of published meta-analyses. No overall differences in fish densities were evident between sanctuary zones and fished zones. The response of fish species richness to protection varied significantly between different MPAs, while invertebrate density and species richness were both significantly lower in sanctuary zones than in fished zones.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Effects of fishing Marine reserve MPA Fishes Macroinvertebrates Species richness Volunteer monitoring Australia
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Environmental management
Research Field:	Conservation and biodiversity
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
UTAS Author:	Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar)
UTAS Author:	Stuart-Smith, RD (Dr Rick Stuart-Smith)
ID Code:	60513
Year Published:	2009
Web of Science® Times Cited:	108
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2010-02-09
Last Modified:	2015-02-10
Downloads:	500 View Download Statistics