Effectiveness of Southern California Marine Protected Areas in promoting healthy fish communities

Presentation Type

Poster

Presentation Type

Submission

Keywords

Marine Management, Flight Initiation Distance, Fish, Community Health, Southern California

Department

Biology

Major

Biology

Abstract

The goal of marine protected areas (MPAs) is to protect habitats and ecosystems to promote the diversity and health of marine populations. To evaluate the health of fish populations within and outside of MPAs, we used flight initiation distance (FID). FID is the distance at which an individual will flee from a perceived predator and is a direct measure of boldness. Lower FIDs are indicative of bolder and therefore healthier populations. Lower FID values indicate that fish will conserve energy that could be used towards growth and reproduction. Data was collected from nine locations along the southern California coast, four in protected areas, and five in non-protected areas. FIDs were measured with a sonar-based range finder. All fish species that could be caught by recreational fishermen were targeted, with a focus on six core species that are commonly sought by spearfishermen. Results showed that all fish sampled in MPAs have lower FIDs than those in non-protected areas (Wilcoxon rank sum: W=7013.5, p

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Florybeth La Valle

Funding Source or Research Program

Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative, Summer Undergraduate Research in Biology

Location

Waves Cafeteria

Start Date

24-3-2023 2:00 PM

End Date

24-3-2023 4:00 PM

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Mar 24th, 2:00 PM Mar 24th, 4:00 PM

Effectiveness of Southern California Marine Protected Areas in promoting healthy fish communities

Waves Cafeteria

The goal of marine protected areas (MPAs) is to protect habitats and ecosystems to promote the diversity and health of marine populations. To evaluate the health of fish populations within and outside of MPAs, we used flight initiation distance (FID). FID is the distance at which an individual will flee from a perceived predator and is a direct measure of boldness. Lower FIDs are indicative of bolder and therefore healthier populations. Lower FID values indicate that fish will conserve energy that could be used towards growth and reproduction. Data was collected from nine locations along the southern California coast, four in protected areas, and five in non-protected areas. FIDs were measured with a sonar-based range finder. All fish species that could be caught by recreational fishermen were targeted, with a focus on six core species that are commonly sought by spearfishermen. Results showed that all fish sampled in MPAs have lower FIDs than those in non-protected areas (Wilcoxon rank sum: W=7013.5, p