The European Commission's study examines the spillover effects from Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to nearby fisheries. Key findings reveal important factors influencing this process, offering insights for MPA strategies in the EU.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are acknowledged as a crucial tool for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. Although there is clear evidence that fish abundance and biomass increase within MPA boundaries (‘reserve effect’), the potential for MPAs to provide direct fisheries benefits through the ‘spillover effect’ remains a topic of debate.
The European Commission’s study ‘Assessing spillover from marine protected areas to adjacent fisheries - Baltic and North Seas, Atlantic EU Western Waters and Outermost Regions’ systematically reviews the evidence for spillover effects from MPAs to fisheries in the European Union and other temperate regions.
From the scientific literature and the in-depth analysis of 15 MPA case studies across Europe, key findings include:
- A combination of studies, using biological sampling and tagging, is necessary to demonstrate the spillover benefits to fisheries.
- Certain characteristics of MPAs—such as age, local context, and whether they form part of a network—are strong predictors of spillover occurrence.
- Species mobility and reproductive strategies play an important role in determining whether spillover occurs.
- More research is needed to document the scale, dynamics, and long-term impacts of spillover, as well as its interaction with other fisheries management tools.
The findings provide insights into the conditions under which ecological spillover is most likely, and should therefore be key considerations when designing MPAs.
To estimate the likelihood of spillover in both current and planned MPAs, the SPILLEST Spillover Likelihood Tool was developed. This tool integrates environmental, social, and economic factors that influence the occurrence, magnitude, and detectability of spillover.
Overall, the study provides key insights that demonstrate the direct benefits of MPAs to local fisheries, offering a key argument for strengthening the engagement of the fishing industry in achieving the 30% protection target.
Read the full study here.