0000000000471136
AUTHOR
Rene A. Abesamis
GAM residual plots and summary outputs from Fishing pressure impacts the abundance gradient of European lobsters across the borders of a newly established marine protected area
A.4. Response vs. fitted values, B. GAM Output summary
Fishing pressure impacts the abundance gradient of European lobsters across the borders of a newly established marine protected area
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered viable fisheries management tools due to their potential benefits of adult spillover and recruitment subsidy to nearby fisheries. However, before–after control–impact studies that explore the biological and fishery effects of MPAs to surrounding fisheries are scarce. We present results from a fine-scale spatial gradient study conducted before and after the implementation of a 5 km 2 lobster MPA in southern Norway. A significant nonlinear response in lobster abundance, estimated as catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) from experimental fishing, was detected within 2 years of protection. After 4 years, CPUE values inside the MPA had increased by a magnitu…