Minimizing the short-term impacts of marine reserves on fisheries while meeting long-term goals for recovery

Abstract

Marine reserves are a promising tool for recovering overfished ecosystems. However, reserves designed to rebuild profits in the long-term may cause short-term losses—a serious issue in regions where fisheries are key for food security. We examine the tension between the long-term benefits of reserves and short-term losses, using a multispecies model of coral reef fisheries. Reserves designed to maximize long-term profits caused significant short-term losses. We model several policy solutions, where we incrementally increased either: the number of months per year that the reserve is closed to fishing; the size of the reserve; or the number species protected within the reserve. Protecting species sequentially, starting with the most valued species, provided the best outcome in the short-term with the most rapid recovery of profits. Solving the dilemma of meeting short- and long-term goals will ultimately improve the effectiveness of marine reserves for managing fisheries and conserving ecosystems.