CalOceans News

Study: Marine reserves boost lobster fisheries

A team of marine scientists released a study last week showing that the spillover of lobsters from marine reserves more than compensates for lost fishing grounds.  During the 10 year study period, the net gain to fishermen was about 10% annually.

The study, published this month in the magazine Marine Ecology Progress Series, was conducted by researchers of the Balearics Oceanographic Centre of the Spanish Oceanography Institute with collaboration from scientists at the universities of Washington and Michigan.

This is further evidence that science-based marine protected areas are good for the ocean as well as our economy. By investing in our ocean resources through the use of protected areas, we are ensuring the long-term viability of our commercial fishing industries as well.

• Tags:
• fisheries
• marine reserves
• marine science
• Marine Protected Areas
• lobster

Solutions for a changing ocean

Ocean Beach resident Mike Laude has been diving and fishing southern California's waters for three decades.  He remembers swimming from Windansea to Bird Rock, "gawking at halibut, lobsters, abalone, moray eels, starfish, urchins, garibaldi, schools of sargo, barracuda, opal eye, and bait fish." 

Like many south coast watermen, Laude enjoys watching sea life, and hunting for his dinner amid the kelp forests and rocky reefs.  In a December 4 North County Times op-ed he writes about catching lobsters nearly as old as he was, and watching abalone numbers dwindle. 

Richard Holt, who serves on the Advisory Council for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, has been fishing and diving south coast waters even longer than Laude.  The picture above is from his website, showing a typical day's catch at Palos Verdes from the 1950's (all caught without SCUBA gear.)

Fish and shellfish are getting smaller and fewer each year, and habitat protection is a key part of the solution.  Mike Laude has followed Marine Life Protection Act process, and come out in support of the compromise plan for southern California.

Many other divers and anglers, along with scientists, conservationists, and educators are expected to attend a December 9 Marine Life Protection Act meeting in Los Angeles to voice their support for a strong marine protected area plan.  The future bounty of our ocean is at stake.

• Tags:
• Marine Life Protection Act
• marine protected area
• integrated preferred alternative
• south coast study region
• historic catches
• fisheries

The world is blue

Water covers 70% of our planet, and yet most of give little thought to what lies beyond our shores.  Not so for Dr. Sylvia Earle, explorer in residence at National Geographic.

Dr. Earle has been diving for 50 years, and has seen drastic changes to the health of the ocean, and abundance of sea life during that time.

She believes that marine protected areas--like the ones California is working to create through the Marine Life Protection Act--are a critical part of the solution for the world's oceans.

On NPR Friday, she said, “If there are to be fisherman, there have to be fish. And for there to be fish, you have to protect their breeding areas, their feeding areas, the places where the little ones grow up...We've taken on the order of 90 percent of the tunas, the swordfish, the sharks, groupers, snappers.  There have to be some places that the fish can recover and serve as a source of renewal to places that have been so drastically depleted.”

Setting aside high quality, productive habitats as marine protected areas will help rebuild fisheries and restore ocean ecosystems.

Dr. Earle called the world's 4,500 marine protected areas "places of hope," but adds that only 1% of the ocean is currently protected.  To ensure the health of our blue planet, we have to do better.

• Tags:
• Marine Life Protection Act
• dr. sylvia earle
• marine protected area
• fisheries