HIGH SEAS MARINE PROTECTED AREAS AND DEEP-SEA FISHING

摘要

Experiences in coastal and offshore waters under national jurisdiction have shown marine protected areas (MPAs) to be an important tool for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem-based oceans and fisheries management. Spatial and temporal closures established as a fisheries management tool are here considered as a subset of MPAs. If properly designed and managed, MPAs can help protect, recover and maintain fish stocks, population size distribution, trophic complexity, ecosystem resilience, habitat structure, biological diversity as well as species' feeding, breeding, spawning and nursery grounds. MPAs are not a panacea however: their goals are most effectively achieved when human activities, including destructive practices, are controlled in the context of effective ecosystem-based management both within and outside the MPA. Further studies and adaptive management would assist in improving MPA design and effectiveness.