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Application of marine reserves to reef fisheries management
Author(s) -
BOHNSACK JAMES A.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1998.tb00734.x
Subject(s) - marine reserve , fisheries management , fishing , fishery , marine fisheries , marine conservation , marine protected area , fisheries science , resource (disambiguation) , business , great barrier reef , productivity , adaptive management , environmental resource management , natural resource economics , reef , environmental science , ecology , economics , computer science , biology , computer network , habitat , macroeconomics
Establishing permanent ‘no‐take’ marine reserves, areas where fishing and all other extractive activities are prohibited, is an attractive but under‐utilized tool for fisheries management. Marine reserves could potentially deal with many fishery problems that are not effectively addressed by other traditional management measures; they also offer numerous social, economic, and scientific benefits not directly related to fisheries. Limited but growing research has shown beneficial biological and economic effects of marine reserves on fisheries. More research is needed, especially at larger scales, to determine the ideal marine reserve size, number and location necessary to optimize fisheries productivity and resource conservation. Sufficient evidence is available to justify the expanded use of marine reserves in an adaptive approach to fisheries management.