IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i10p6169-d818981.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental Drivers and Social Structure Features behind the Low Reproductive Success of Dusky Groupers Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

Author

Listed:
  • Felio Lozano-Quijada

    (Grupo TRAGSA (TRAGSATEC), c/ De las Eras, s/n, Local 12, E-03008 Alicante, Spain)

  • José Miguel González-Correa

    (Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, Centro de Investigación Marina de Santa Pola, University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain)

  • Just Tomàs Bayle-Sempere

    (Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, IMEM “Ramón Margalef”, University of Alicante, E-03080 Alicante, Spain)

Abstract

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered key tools for achieving the sustainability of coastal fisheries by allowing habitat and species conservation by means of use regulations and active management. The effects of protection are more visible in slow-growing, high site fidelity and late-maturing species such as dusky grouper, a flagship species for all the fishermen and divers in the Mediterranean Sea. We studied the reproductive behavior of dusky grouper at Tabarca Island Marine Protected Area (TIMPA) in order to: (a) describe its temporal pattern; (b) evaluate the relationships among reproductive behavior and environmental factors and (c) verify the effects of social structure on reproductive activity. We observed all the behavior patterns previously reported in other studies besides the final spawn event. Our results evidenced that the monthly average density of dusky groupers tended to increase when temperature rose close to the seabed and without defined temporal limits for reproductive behavior. Among the environmental factors considered, visibility exhibited a very strong effect on the reproductive behavior of dusky grouper, interacting significantly with seabed temperature and thermocline. Regarding the effects of social structure, reproductive activity was positively correlated with the presence of large-sized individuals. We have discussed the differential facts of the reproductive activity of dusky groupers observed at TIMPA relating the results to the biogeographical location, the patterns of the environmental drivers (such as the seabed temperature per day, the thermocline, the visibility, the stream force, the photoperiod and the divers per day) and the structure of the habitat. These negative results contrast with the existing knowledge and generate new working hypotheses useful to improve the efficiency of MPAs and the sustainability of coastal fisheries.

Suggested Citation

  • Felio Lozano-Quijada & José Miguel González-Correa & Just Tomàs Bayle-Sempere, 2022. "Environmental Drivers and Social Structure Features behind the Low Reproductive Success of Dusky Groupers Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:10:p:6169-:d:818981
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/10/6169/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/10/6169/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grafton, R. Quentin & Kompas, Tom, 2005. "Uncertainty and the active adaptive management of marine reserves," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 471-479, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Quentin Grafton, R., 2010. "Adaptation to climate change in marine capture fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 606-615, May.
    2. Grafton, R. Quentin & Akter, Sonia & Kompas, Tom, 2009. "Guide to the Ex-Ante Socio-Economic Evaluation of Marine Protected Areas," Research Reports 94827, Australian National University, Environmental Economics Research Hub.
    3. Greenville, Jared W. & MacAulay, T. Gordon, 2006. "Protected Areas and the Management of Fisheries: An Institutional Perspective," 2006 Conference (50th), February 8-10, 2006, Sydney, Australia 139739, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    4. Greenville, Jared W. & MacAulay, T. Gordon, 2006. "Protected areas in fisheries: a two-patch, two-species model," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(2), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Elizabeth Edmondson & Lucia Fanning, 2022. "Implementing Adaptive Management within a Fisheries Management Context: A Systematic Literature Review Revealing Gaps, Challenges, and Ways Forward," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-16, June.
    6. Lozano-Montes, Hector M. & Babcock, Russ & Loneragan, Neil R., 2012. "Exploring the effects of spatial closures in a temperate marine ecosystem in Western Australia: A case study of the western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) fishery," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 31-40.
    7. Wielgus, Jeffrey & Sala, Enric & Gerber, Leah R., 2008. "Assessing the ecological and economic benefits of a no-take marine reserve," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 32-40, August.
    8. Graeme J. Doole, 2005. "Optimal management of the New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii)," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 49(4), pages 395-411, December.
    9. Greenville, Jared W. & MacAulay, T. Gordon, 2006. "A Bioeconomic Analysis of Protected Area use in Fisheries Management," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21469, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    10. Greenville, Jared W. & MacAulay, T. Gordon, 2006. "A Bioeconomic Analysis of Protected Area use in Fisheries Management," 2006 Conference (50th), February 8-10, 2006, Sydney, Australia 139738, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    11. Greenville, Jared W. & MacAulay, T. Gordon, 2007. "Bioeconomic analysis of protected area use in fisheries management," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 51(4), pages 1-22.
    12. Jared Greenville & T. Gordon MacAulay, 2006. "Protected areas in fisheries: a two-patch, two-species model ," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 50(2), pages 207-226, June.
    13. Stevens, T.F. & Sheehan, E.V. & Gall, S.C. & Fowell, S.C. & Attrill, M.J., 2014. "Monitoring benthic biodiversity restoration in Lyme Bay marine protected area: Design, sampling and analysis," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 310-317.
    14. Elvin, S.S. & Taggart, C.T., 2008. "Right whales and vessels in Canadian waters," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 379-386, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:10:p:6169-:d:818981. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.