Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T17:42:48.431Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assessing fish communities in a multiple-use marine protected area using an underwater drone (Aegean Sea, Greece)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 March 2022

Melina Nalmpanti
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ichthyology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Androniki Pardalou
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ichthyology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Athanassios C. Tsikliras
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ichthyology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Donna Dimarchopoulou*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ichthyology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Donna Dimarchopoulou, E-mail: ddimarch@bio.auth.gr

Abstract

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been demonstrated to positively affect various aspects of their ecosystems and communities. In the present study, the effectiveness of varying protection levels on the coastal fish populations within a multiple-use marine park in Greece was assessed through community-level metrics using a non-destructive underwater recording method (underwater drone/mini remotely operated vehicle). Two factors were examined, i.e. protection level (fully, partially and least protected area) and time period (early and late summer: beginning and towards the end of the fishing and touristic season). Our study demonstrated some first results that protection benefited both the commercial species and the entire fish community as a whole, in terms of diversity, abundance and richness, while non-commercial species did not differ among the studied protection levels. This finding, along with the fact that the prevailing conditions (water temperature, depth, habitat type) were similar in all three studied areas, that corresponded to different protection levels, and in both sampling periods, indicated that the observed results may be attributed to the varying protection levels. The studied fish communities did not seem to be affected by the more intense fishing and touristic period over the summer. In conclusion, protection from fishing seems to positively affect the studied coastal fish community as a whole and particularly the commercially important species that find a refuge within core areas of the Alonissos marine park.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, MJ, Gorley, RN and Clarke, KR (2008) PERMANOVA + for PRIMER: Guide to Software and Statistical Methods. Plymouth: PRIMER-E.Google Scholar
Armada, N, White, AT and Christie, P (2009) Managing fisheries resources in Danajon Bank, Bohol, Philippines: an ecosystem-based approach. Coastal Management 37, 308330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belharet, M, Di Franco, A, Calo, A, Mari, L, Claudet, J, Casagrandi, R, Gatto, M, Lloret, J, Seve, C, Guidetti, P and Melia, P (2020) Extending full protection inside existing marine protected areas, or reducing fishing effort outside, can reconcile conservation and fisheries goals. Journal of Applied Ecology 57, 19481957.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, RJ and Curtis, JT (1957) An ordination of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs 27, 325349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, MH and Reed, DC (1993) Conceptual issues relevant to marine harvest refuges: examples from temperate reef fishes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 50, 20192028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caselle, JE, Rassweiler, A, Hamilton, SL and Warner, RR (2015) Recovery trajectories of kelp forest animals are rapid yet spatially variable across a network of temperate marine protected areas. Scientific Reports 5, 14102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cebrian-Menchero, D (1998) La foca monje (Monachus monachus Hermann 1779) en el Mediterráneo Oriental (Grecia y Croacia). PhD thesis, Universidad Complutense, Madrid. 367 pp.Google Scholar
Cebrian-Menchero, D (2013) The North Sporades Marine Park and historical co-management with its artisanal fishing community. In FAO (2013) First Regional Symposium on Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, 27–30 November 2013, Saint Julian's, Malta.Google Scholar
Claudet, J (2018) Six conditions under which MPAs might not appear effective (when they are). ICES Journal of Marine Science 75, 11721174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claudet, J, Loiseau, C, Sostres, M and Zupan, M (2020) Underprotected marine protected areas in a global biodiversity hotspot. One Earth 2, 380384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claudet, J, Pelletier, D, Jouvenel, JY, Bachet, F and Galzin, R (2006) Assessing the effects of marine protected area (MPA) on a reef fish assemblage in a northwestern Mediterranean marine reserve: identifying community-based indicators. Biological Conservation 130, 349369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Consoli, P, Esposito, V, Battaglia, P, Altobelli, C, Perzia, P, Romeo, T, Canese, S and Andaloro, F (2016) Fish distribution and habitat complexity on banks of the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea) from remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) explorations. PLoS ONE 11, e0167809.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costello, MJ and Ballantine, B (2015) Biodiversity conservation should focus on no-take Marine Reserves: 94% of Marine Protected Areas allow fishing. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 30, 507509.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dearden, P, Theberge, M and Yasué, M (2010) Using underwater cameras to assess the effects of snorkeler and SCUBA diver presence on coral reef fish abundance, family richness, and species composition. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 163, 531538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denny, CM and Babcock, RC (2004) Do partial marine reserves protect reef fish assemblages? Biological Conservation 116, 119129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Di Franco, A, Bussotti, S, Navone, A, Panzalis, P and Guidetti, P (2009) Evaluating effects of total and partial restrictions to fishing on Mediterranean rocky-reef fish assemblages. Marine Ecology Progress Series 387, 275285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dikou, A and Dionysopoulou, N (2011) Communicating a marine protected area through the local press: the case of the national marine park of Alonissos, northern Sporades, Greece. Environmental Management 47, 777788.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Di Lorenzo, M, Guidetti, P, Di Franco, A, Calo, A and Claudet, J (2020) Assessing spillover from marine protected areas and its drivers: a meta-analytical approach. Fish and Fisheries 21, 906915.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dimarchopoulou, D, Dogrammatzi, A, Karachle, PK and Tsikliras, AC (2018) Spatial fishing restrictions benefit demersal stocks in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Scientific Reports 8, 5967.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dimarchopoulou, D, Stergiou, KI and Tsikliras, AC (2017) Gap analysis on the biology of Mediterranean marine fishes. PLoS ONE 12, e0175949.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edgar, GJ, Ru, GR and Babcock, RC (2007) Marine protected areas. In Connell, SD and Gillanders, BM (eds), Marine Ecology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 534565.Google Scholar
Edgar, GJ, Stuart-Smith, RD, Willis, TJ, Kininmonth, S, Baker, SC, Banks, S, Barrett, NS, Becerro, MA, Bernard, ATF, Berkhout, J, Buxton, CD, Campbell, SJ, Cooper, AT, Davey, M, Edgar, SC, Försterra, G, Galván, DE, Irigoyen, AJ, Kushner, DJ, Moura, R, Parnell, PE, Shears, NT, Soler, G, Strain, EMA and Thomson, RJ (2014) Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features. Nature 506, 216220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emslie, MJ, Cheal, AJ, MacNeil, MA, Miller, IR and Sweatman, HPA (2018) Reef fish communities are spooked by scuba surveys and may take hours to recover. PeerJ 6, e4886.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Floeter, SR, Halpern, BS and Ferreira, CEL (2006) Effects of fishing and protection on Brazilian reef fishes. Biological Conservation 128, 391402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Froese, R and Pauly, D (Eds) (2022) FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (02/2022).Google Scholar
Galil, BS (2017) Eyes wide shut: managing bio-invasions in Mediterranean marine protected areas. In Goriup, PD (ed.), Management of Marine Protected Areas: A Network Perspective. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 187206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gell, FR and Roberts, CM (2003) Benefits beyond boundaries: the fishery effects of marine reserves. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 18, 448455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giakoumi, S, Scianna, C, Plass-Johnson, J, Micheli, F, Grorud-Colvert, K, Thiriet, P, Claudet, J, Di Carlo, G, Di Franco, A, Gaines, SD, García-Charton, JA, Lubchenco, J, Reimer, J, Sala, E and Guidetti, P (2017) Ecological effects of full and partial protection in the crowded Mediterranean Sea: a regional meta-analysis. Scientific Reports 7, 8940.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goñi, R, Hilborn, R, Díaz, D, Mallol, S and Adlerstein, S (2010) Net contribution of spillover from a marine reserve to fishery catches. Marine Ecology Progress Series 400, 233243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goñi, R, Ramos Espla, AA, Zabala, M, Planes, S, Perez-Ruzafa, A, Francour, P, Badalamenti, F, Polunin, NVC, Chemello, R and Voultsiadou, E (1998) Ecological effects of protection in Mediterranean marine reserves (ECOMARE). In Barthel, KG, Barth, H, Bohle-Carbonell, M, Fragakis, C, Lipiatou, E, Martin, P, Ollier, G and Weydert, M (eds), Third European marine science and technology conference (MAST). Project Synopses, vol. 1. Marine Systems, European Commission DG 12 Science, Research and Development, Luxembourg, pp. 139150.Google Scholar
Guidetti, P, Baiata, P, Ballesteros, E, Di Franco, A, Hereu, B, Macpherson, E, Micheli, F, Pais, A, Panzalis, P, Rosenberg, AA, Zabala, M and Sala, E (2014) Large-scale assessment of Mediterranean marine protected areas effects on fish assemblages. PLoS ONE 9, e91841.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guidetti, P, Milazzo, M, Bussotti, S, Molinari, A, Murenu, M, Pais, A, Spanò, N, Balzano, R, Agardy, T, Boero, F, Carrada, G, Cattaneo-Vietti, R, Caud, A, Chemello, R, Greco, S, Manganaro, A, Notarbartolo di Sciara, G, Fulvio Russo, G and Tunesi, L (2008) Italian Marine reserve effectiveness: does enforcement matter? Biological Conservation 141, 699709.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guidetti, P and Sala, E (2007) Community-wide effects of marine reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 335, 4356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halpern, BS, Lester, SE and McLeod, KL (2010) Placing marine protected areas into the ecosystem-based management seascape. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 107, 1831218317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Halpern, BS and Warner, RR (2002) Marine reserves have rapid and lasting effects. Ecology Letters 5, 361366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harmelin-Vivien, ML, Harmelin, JG, Chauvet, C, Duval, C, Galzin, R, Lejeune, P, Barnabe, G, Blanc, F, Chevalier, R, Duclerc, J and Lasserre, G (1985) The underwater observation of fish communities and fish populations. Methods and problems. Revue d'Ecologie 40, 467539.Google Scholar
Harvey, ES, McLean, DL, Goetze, JS, Saunders, BJ, Langlois, TJ, Monk, J, Barrett, N, Wilson, SK, Holmes, TH, Ierodiaconou, D, Jordan, AR, Meekan, MG, Malcolm, HA, Heupel, MR, Harasti, D, Huveneers, C, Knott, NA, Fairclough, DV, Currey-Randall, LM, Travers, MJ, Radford, BT, Rees, MJ, Speed, CW, Wakefield, CB, Cappo, M and Newman, SJ (2021) The BRUVs workshop – An Australia-wide synthesis of baited remote underwater video data to answer broad-scale ecological questions about fish, sharks and rays. Marine Policy 127, 104430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horta e Costa, B, Claudet, J, Franco, G, Erzini, K, Caro, A and Goncalvez, EJ (2016) A regulation-based classification system for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Marine Policy 72, 192198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
IUCN (2020) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020–1.Google Scholar
Karachle, PK, Dimarchopoulou, D and Tsikliras, AC (2020) Is shore-based recreational fishing in Greece an unregulated activity that increases catch uncertainty? Regional Studies in Marine Science 36, 101273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kellner, JB, Tetreault, I, Gaines, SD and Nisbet, RM (2007) Fishing the line near marine reserves in single and multispecies fisheries. Ecological Applications 17, 10391054.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Konaxis, I (2020) Alonissos Island and the northern Sporades marine national park as a strategic socio-economic node for the culture of the Aegean Sea. American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science 3, 4953.Google Scholar
Laidig, TE, Krigsman, LM, Mary, M and Yoklavich, MM (2013) Reactions of fishes to two underwater survey tools, a manned submersible and a remotely operated vehicle. Fishery Bulletin 111, 5467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langlois, T, Harvey, ES, Fitzpatrick, B, Meeuwig, J, Shedrawi, G and Watson, DL (2010) Cost-efficient sampling of fish assemblages: comparison of baited video stations and diver video transects. Aquatic Biology 9, 155168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lester, SE and Halpern, BS (2008) Biological responses in marine no-take reserves vs partially protected areas. Marine Ecology Progress Series 367, 4956.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lester, SE, Halpern, BS, Grorud-Colvert, K, Lubchenco, J, Ruttenberg, BI, Gaines, SD, Airamé, S and Warner, RR (2009) Biological effects within no-take marine reserves: a global synthesis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 384, 3346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewin, WC, Weltersbach, MS, Ferter, K, Hyder, K, Mugerza, E, Prellezo, R, Radford, Z, Zarauz, L and Strehlow, HV (2019) Potential environmental impacts of recreational fishing on marine fish stocks and ecosystems. Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture 27, 287330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lubchenco, J, Palumbi, SR, Gaines, SD and Andelman, S (2003) Plugging a hole in the ocean: the emerging science of marine reserves. Ecological Applications 13, S3S7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mallet, D and Pelletier, D (2014) Underwater video techniques for observing coastal marine biodiversity: a review of sixty years of publications (1952–2012). Fisheries Research 154, 4462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Micheli, F, Halpern, BS, Botsford, LW and Warner, RR (2004) Trajectories and correlates of community change in no-take marine reserves. Ecological Applications 14, 17091723.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MOm (2009) MOFI Project: Monk Seal and Fisheries: Mitigating the Conflict in Greek Seas. MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, Athens, Greece.Google Scholar
Murphy, HM and Jenkins, GP (2010) Observational methods used in marine spatial monitoring of fishes and associated habitats: a review. Marine and Freshwater Research 61, 236252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oikonomou, ZS and Dikou, A (2008) Integrating conservation and development at the national marine park of Alonissos, northern Sporades, Greece: perception and practice. Environmental Management 42, 847866.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patzner, RA (1999) Habitat utilization and depth distribution of small cryptobenthic fishes (Bleniidae, Gobiesocidae, Gobiidae, Tripterygiidae) in Ibiza (western Mediterranean Sea). Environmental Biology of Fishes 55, 207214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pauly, D, Christensen, V, Dalsgaard, J, Froese, R and Torres, F (1998) Fishing down marine food webs. Science (New York, N.Y.) 279, 860863.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pelletier, D, Claudet, J, Ferraris, J, Benedetti-Cecchi, L and Garcia-Charton, JA (2008) Models and indicators for assessing conservation-related effects of marine protected areas. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65, 765779.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prato, G, Thiriet, P, Di Franco, A and Francour, P (2017) Enhancing fish underwater visual census to move forward assessment of fish assemblages: an application in three Mediterranean Marine protected areas. PLoS ONE 12, e0178511.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raoult, V, Tosetto, L, Harvey, C, Nelson, TM, Reed, J, Parikh, A, Chan, AJ, Smith, TM and Williamson, JE (2020) Remotely operated vehicles as alternatives to snorkelers for video-based marine research. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 522, 151253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raoult, V, Williamson, JE, Smith, TM and Gaston, TF (2019) Effects of on-deck holding conditions and air exposure on post-release behaviours of sharks revealed by a remote operated vehicle. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 511, 1018.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, CM, Hawkins, JP and Gell, FR (2005) The role of marine reserves in achieving sustainable fisheries. Philosophical Translations of the Royal Society 360, 123132.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sala, E, Ballesteros, E, Dendrinos, P, Di Franco, A, Ferretti, F, Foley, D, Fraschetti, S, Friedlander, A, Garrabou, J, Güçlüsoy, H, Guidetti, P, Halpern, BS, Hereu, B, Karamanlidis, AA, Kizilkaya, Z, Macpherson, E, Mangialajo, L, Mariani, S, Micheli, F, Pais, A, Riser, K, Rosenberg, AA, Sales, M, Selkoe, KA, Starr, R, Tomas, F and Zabala, M (2012) The structure of Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems across environmental and human gradients, and conservation implications. PLoS ONE 7, e32742.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sciberras, M, Jenkins, SR, Mant, R, Kaiser, MJ, Hawkins, SJ and Pullin, AS (2015) Evaluating the relative conservation value of fully and partially protected marine areas. Fish and Fisheries 16, 5877.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shannon, CE and Weaver, W (1949) The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, p. 125.Google Scholar
Sini, M, Vatikiotis, K, Thanopoulou, Z, Katsoupis, C, Maina, I, Kavadas, S, Karachle, PK and Katsanevakis, S (2019) Small-scale coastal fishing shapes the structure of shallow rocky reef fish in the Aegean Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science 6, 599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smolowitz, RJ, Patel, SH, Haas, HL and Miller, SA (2015) Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to observe loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) behavior on foraging grounds off the mid-Atlantic United States. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 471, 8491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soykan, CU and Lewison, RL (2015) Using community-level metrics to monitor the effects of marine protected areas on biodiversity. Conservation Biology 29, 775783.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stoner, AW, Ryer, CH, Parker, SJ, Auster, PJ and Wakefield, WW (2008) Evaluating the role of fish behaviour in surveys conducted with underwater vehicles. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 65, 12301243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sward, D, Monk, J and Barrett, N (2019) A systematic review of remotely operated vehicle surveys for visually assessing fish assemblages. Frontiers in Marine Science 6, 134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsikliras, Α, Dimarchopoulou, D, Michailidis, Κ, Aletra, V, Papadopoulou, P and Pardalou, Α (2018) Fisheries, Stocks and Fleet in Alonissos. Technical Report. Laboratory of Ichthyology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 77 pp.Google Scholar
Tsikliras, Α, Keramidas, I, Nalmpanti, M, Tektonidis, E, Issari, A, Pardalou, Α and Dimarchopoulou, D (2020) Monitoring of the Fish Stocks in the National Marine Park of Alonissos-northern Sporades. Technical Report. Laboratory of Ichthyology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 48 pp.Google Scholar
Tsikliras, AC, Touloumis, K, Pardalou, A, Adamidou, A, Keramidas, I, Orfanidis, GA, Dimarchopoulou, D and Koutrakis, M (2021) Status and exploitation of 74 un-assessed demersal fish and invertebrate stocks in the Aegean Sea (Greece) using abundance and resilience. Frontiers in Marine Science 7, 578601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsikliras, AC, Tsiros, V-Z and Stergiou, KI (2013) Assessing the state of Greek marine fisheries resources. Fisheries Management and Ecology 20, 3441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tzanatos, E, Dimitriou, E, Katselis, G, Georgiadis, M and Koutsikopoulos, C (2005) Composition, temporal dynamics and regional characteristics of small-scale fisheries in Greece. Fisheries Research 73, 147158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Unsworth, RKF, Peters, JR, McCloskey, RM and Hinder, SL (2014) Optimising stereo baited underwater video for sampling fish and invertebrates in temperate coastal habitats. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 150, 281287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wetz, JJ, Ajemian, MJ, Shipley, B and Stunz, GW (2020) An assessment of two visual survey methods for documenting fish community structure on artificial platform reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. Fisheries Research 225, 105492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, ID, Walsh, WJ, Tissot, BN and Hallacher, LE (2006) Impact of observers’ experience level on counts of fishes in underwater visual surveys. Marine Ecology Progress Series 310, 185191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, LJ, Fish, L, Laughren, J and Pauly, D (2008) Assessing progress towards global marine protection targets: shortfalls in information and action. Oryx 42, 340351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zupan, M, Bulleri, F, Evans, J, Fraschetti, S, Guidetti, P, Garcia-Rubies, A, Sostres, M, Asnaghi, V, Caro, A, Deudero, S, Goñi, R, Guarnieri, G, Guilhaumon, F, Kersting, D, Kokkali, A, Kruschel, C, Macic, V, Mangialajo, L, Mallol, S, Macpherson, E, Panucci, A, Radolovic, M, Ramdani, M, Schembri, PJ, Terlizzi, A, Villa, E and Claudet, J (2018) How good is your marine protected area at curbing threats? Biological Conservation 221, 237245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar