In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 17, No. 2 ( 2022-2-3), p. e0262943-
Abstract:
Since July 2019, Gyaros island in the central Aegean Sea, enjoys the status of a partial Marine Protected Area (MPA), allowing for exploitation by small-scale fishers following specific spatio-temporal restrictions. The need for assessing the effectiveness of the MPA in the future, led MAVA Foundation to fund a knowledge survey project aiming to serve as a baseline for future reference. A series of experimental fishing surveys took place with static nets, the outcomes of which are presented herein. From June 2018 to September 2020, a series of 8 fishing excursions with a total of 40 experimental fishing sets with bottom static nets were realized in 5 set locations around Gyaros island, inside the MPA protection zone. A total of 75 species were identified; the most abundant species, in terms of biomass, being: parrotfish -Sparisoma cretense , red scorpionfish- Scorpaena scrofa , common spiny lobster- Palinurus elephas , red porgy- Pagrus pagrus , little tunny–- Euthynnus alletteratus , Mediterranean moray- Muraena helena , lesser spotted dogfish - Scyliorhinus canicula , forkbeard- Phycis phycis , surmullet- Mullus surmuletus , common cuttlefish- Sepia officinalis and common Pandora- Pagellus erythrinus . A comparison with similar data in adjacent areas outside the MPA allowed for assessing the effectiveness of the MPA based on four indicators: species diversity index, species relative biomass index, key predator species abundance, and alien fish abundance. Based solely on the experimental fishing trials, the MPA seems to be functioning, since both species diversity and abundance were higher within the protected area. However, its performance may still not be considered as optimal, as this is indicated by the large proportion of undersized key predators (e.g. groupers), although more abundant and larger than the ones residing outside the MPA.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g009
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.g010
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t009
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.t010
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0262943.s002
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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