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Reconciling conflict between the direct and indirect effects of marine reserve protection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2012

NICK T. SHEARS ,
DAVID J. KUSHNER ,
STEPHEN L. KATZ  and
STEVEN D. GAINES
NICK T. SHEARS*
Affiliation:
Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
DAVID J. KUSHNER
Affiliation:
Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura, CA 93001, USA
STEPHEN L. KATZ
Affiliation:
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA, 735 State Street, Suite 619, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
STEVEN D. GAINES
Affiliation:
Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
*
*Correspondence: Dr Nick Shears, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand e-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

No-take marine reserves directly promote the recovery of predatory species, which can have negative indirect effects on prey populations in reserves. When harvesting also occurs on prey species there is potential conflict between the direct and indirect effects of protection, and reserves may not have conservation benefits for prey species. For example, sea urchins are fished in many regions, but may decline in reserves due to increased predation rates. To investigate this potential conflict, this paper compares density, size, biomass and reproductive potential of both a harvested and an unharvested urchin species between a long-term reserve and unprotected sites in California. Consistent with density-mediated indirect interactions, densities of the unharvested species were 3.4-times higher at unprotected sites compared to reserve sites. However, for the harvested species, densities were comparable between reserve and unprotected sites. Both species were consistently larger at reserve sites, and the biomass and reproductive potential of the harvested species was 4.8- and 7.0-times higher, respectively, than at unprotected sites. This is likely due to differences in size-selectivity between harvesting and predators, and potential compensatory effects of predators. While the generality of these effects needs to be tested, these results suggest mechanisms whereby reserves can benefit both predator and prey species.

Keywords

kelp forestsmarine protected areasnorthern Channel Islandssea urchinssea urchin harvestingsize-mediated interactionsStrongylocentrotus franciscanusStrongylocentrotus purpuratustrophic cascades
Type
THEMATIC SECTION: Temperate Marine Protected Areas
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 39 , Issue 3: Thematic section. Temperate Marine Protected Areas , September 2012 , pp. 225 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2012

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