1. INTEGRATE MODULES
SUSTAINING OUR
OCEANS
Unit 5 Oceans In Protection – Marine Protected
Areas

2. What is a ‘Marine Protected Area’
versus a ‘Marine Reserve’?
 A Marine Protected Area (MPA) is “any area of
the marine environment that has been reserved
by federal, state, territorial, tribal, or local laws or
regulations to provide lasting protection for part or
all of the natural and cultural resources therein.”
 A Marine Reserve is a type of marine protected
area that has legal protection against fishing or
development.
While all Marine Reserves are MPAs, not all MPAs are
marine reserves.

3. How Marine Reserves and
Networks Protect Oceans
Because
disturbance to the
bottom is not
allowed, bottom
habitats are diverse
and healthy
Fish and invertebrates
grow older and bigger
and produced more
young Some adults,
juveniles and
larvae move
out of the
reserve and
reproduce
elsewhere.
This spillover
helps outside
fisheries to
thrive.
 Networks of marine
reserves that protect
different habitats can
also protect species at
various life stages.
 Networks can provide
insurance against
environmental
catastrophes.
 Reserves have more
biomass (abundance of
plants and animals), and
density (number of
plants and animals per
given area) and
diversity (number of

4. Marine Reserves
If the ocean is like a debit account where everybody
withdraws but nobody makes a deposit, marine reserves
are savings accounts that produce compound interest.
Simulated Marine Reserve Before and After Protection Enforce

5. Benefits of Marine Protected
Areas
-Protect entire ecosystems; habitat and
ecosystem function protected from
destructive human activity
- 3 levels of biodiversity protection:
ecosystem, species and genetic
- Provide resilience to protect against
potentially damaging external impacts, such
as global warming and ocean acidification
Species benefits include increases in the diversity,
density, biomass, body size and reproductive potential
of fish and other species within their boundaries.

6. Far Reaching Effects of Marine
Reserves
Primary Effect –
More Lobsters
0.12/m2 0.002/m2
Predator = Lobster
Prey = Urchin
2.4/m2 32.8/m2
Giant Kelp
26%
Cover
5%
Cover
Reserve Fished Area
Secondary Effect –
Fewer Urchins
Cascade Effect –
More Kelp Cover
In the Anacapa Marine Reserve off California, marine lobsters keep their
urchin prey in check, enabling kelp beds to flourish. Data: Behrens and
Lafferty (2004). Marine Ecology Progress Series. Infographic by Michelle

7. Global Distribution of Marine Protected
Areas

8. Scientific Data – Extent of Kelp
Cover
Relative Change In Kelp
0
5
10
15
Inside Reserve
Outside Reserve
Abundance(TimesIncrease)
Relative Change In Kelp Abundance
13 X Increase
4 X Increase
Data: Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies. 2008. Airamé, S. and J. Ugoretz (Eds.).
Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas: First 5 Years of Monitoring: 2003–2008.

9. Scientific Data - Biomass
2.6
1.3
1.02
-1.1 X
-2 -1 0 1 2 3
Piscivore
Carnivore
Planktivore
Herbivore
Ratio of Fish Biomass Inside Reserve Versus Outside Reserve
Negative value means biomass was
greater outside reserve
X - times more
X - times more
X - times more
times more
Biomass = the mass of living biological organisms in a given area
or ecosystem at a given time
Data: USFWS, 2008

10. Scientific Data –
Carapace Length of Lobsters
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2.5
2.75
3
3.25
3.5
3.75
4
4.25
4.5
4.75
5
5.25
5.5
5.75
Inside Reserve
Ouside Reserve
Legal Size Lobster = 3.25 inches carapace
Carapace Length
(inches)
**Greater %age of
smaller carapaces
**Greater %age of
Larger Carapaces
Data: USFWS, 2009
Percentageofeachsizeclass

11. Scientific Data – Age Structure of
Population/ Size Class Distribution
= 100,000 young
45 cm30 cm 60 cm
.36 kg 1.3 kg 3.1 kg

12. Scientific Data –
Fish Density (Number Fish per given
area)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.15
0.5 0.5
0.2
0.11
0.02
0.3
0.6
Inside Reserve
Outside Reserve
Why would this particular
species of fish be found in
greater abundance outside
the reserve? Outside
protection?
Fish Species
NumberofFishper100m2
Data: USFWS, 2008.

13. Scientific Data – Lobster
Density
0
2
4
6
8
In Reserve
Near Reserve
Far From
Reserve
(+2 miles)
7
1.7
2.3
Lobster Density
Lobster Density
Location Relative to Reserve
NumberLobstersPerTrap
Data: USFWS, 2008

14. Scientific Data –
Abundance and Spill Over Effect
Fish Responses to Marine Reserves
Greater Abundance
Inside Reserve
Greater Abundance
Outside Reserve
Data: Micheli, et al. (2004). Ecological Applications.
61%39%

15. Scientific Data –
Fish Dispersal, Evidence of Spillover
Effect
1
4
10
100
110
500
0 200 400 600
Snapper
Rabbitfish
Seatrout
Lingcod
Black Drum
Snook
Distance Traveled
Distance Traveled
Maximum Distance Traveled From Marine Reserve (miles)
FishSpecies
Data: Kaunda-Arara and Rose, 200

16. Scientific Data – Larval
Dispersal
Seaweeds 0.01  5 km
Invertebrates (Plankton) 0.015  500 km
Fishes 1  800 km
The estimated distance traveled by larval before settling in their adult habitats.

17. Activity - Design A Marine
Reserve