No-take areas benefit fisheries
The study was carried out in the Keppel Island group (pictured) on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Image: scottespie/iStockphoto The first conclusive evidence that no-take protected areas can help restock exploited fish populations on neighbouring reefs was presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium.The findings are expected to help resolve a long-running debate worldwide about whether areas closed to all forms of fishing help replenish fish numbers outside the marine protected areas (MPAs).“Using DNA fingerprinting technology, we now can clearly show that the benefits of MPAs spread beyond reserve boundaries, providing a baby bonus to fisheries,” Geoff Jones, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) and James Cook University, who led the study.Jones presented his team’s findings as part of a media briefing on fish larval dispersal and the connectivity between reefs entitled “Reef Connections.” Held every four years, the International Coral Reef Symposium is the premier global coral...