The Cap Roux MPA (Saint-Raphaël, French Mediterranean): changes in fish assemblages within four years of protection

Published source details Seytre C. & Francour P. (2009) The Cap Roux MPA (Saint-Raphaël, French Mediterranean): changes in fish assemblages within four years of protection. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66, 180-187.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Cease or prohibit all types of fishing in a marine protected area Action Link

Cease or prohibit all types of fishing in a marine protected area

A replicated, site comparison study in 2006–2007 in six areas of seagrass Posidonia oceanica bed in the Mediterranean Sea, France (Seytre & Francour 2009, same experimental set-up as Seytre & Francour 2008) found higher abundance of some fish groups and higher species richness inside a marine protected area in which all fishing was banned compared to two fished reference areas, three years after designation. In May 2007, total biomass, species richness, total fish density and density of four fish families were similar during visual transects over seagrass beds inside and outside the reserve. In September 2007, total biomass, species richness, total fish density and that of two of four families were similar inside and outside the reserve, but density of breams Sparidae spp. and groupers Serranidae spp. were higher inside (bream: 9, grouper: 1/40 m²) than outside the reserve (bream: 5–10, grouper: 0–1/40 m²). Experimental netting data showed higher total abundance, abundance of scorpionfish Scorpaenidae spp. and species richness inside the reserve than outside the reserve in October 2006 (total: 4–9, scorpionfish: 1–3, richness: 3–5/100 m) and June 2007 (total: 1–2, scorpionfish: 0–1, richness: 1–2/100 m). The Cap-Roux Marine Protected Area (450 ha) was closed to all fishing in 2003. Two stations were sampled in each of three zones, one inside the reserve and two outside (north and south) of the reserve boundaries. At each station six replicate underwater visual censuses over seagrass beds and six 100 m trammel net deployments were undertaken. Sampling was undertaken seasonally from 2005–2007. Only data from 2006 were included in the analysis. For full sampling details see original study.

(Summarised by: Leo Clarke)