Collaborative Monitoring of the Spiny Lobster in the Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas

Effects of MPAs on Lobster Fishery

California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus)
California spiny lobster

California's marine fisheries policies strive to encourage growth of commercial fisheries while protecting ecosystems. To further these policies, the California Fish and Game Commission implemented several no-take marine reserves (i.e., marine protected areas [MPAs]) within the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) in April 2003. This region is a major fishing ground for California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus), and the lobster industry has shown considerable concern about how these MPAs may affect their fishery. In January 2004, we proposed to monitor these potential effects by measuring juvenile and adult spillover from the MPAs into the lobster fishery.

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Marine Protected Areas

The California Fish and Game Commission implemented a network of twelve marine protected areas (MPAs) was established within the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) on April 1, 2003.

They established these MPAs with the following broad goals: to conserve biodiversity and integrity of marine ecosystems; to help sustain, conserve and protect marine life populations, including those of economic value; to recover depleted marine resources; and to manage use in a manner that is consistent with protecting biodiversity.

Also, they considered the specific objective of improving the sustainable yield of fisheries through spillover of marine life from reserves into surrounding waters including fishing grounds, and perhaps through dispersal of larvae into fished areas.