Remote reefs and seamounts are the last refuges for marine predators across the Indo-Pacific.

Autor: Letessier TB; Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom.; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia., Mouillot D; MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France., Bouchet PJ; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia.; School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Wales., Vigliola L; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR ENTROPIE, LABEX Corail, Nouméa, New Caledonia., Fernandes MC; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia., Thompson C; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia., Boussarie G; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia.; MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France.; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR ENTROPIE, LABEX Corail, Nouméa, New Caledonia., Turner J; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia., Juhel JB; MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France.; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR ENTROPIE, LABEX Corail, Nouméa, New Caledonia.; Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, BPR4, Noumea, New Caledonia., Maire E; MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France., Caley MJ; School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia., Koldewey HJ; Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom.; Conservation Programmes, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom., Friedlander A; Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, United States of America.; Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America., Sala E; Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, United States of America., Meeuwig JJ; School of Biological Sciences and The UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, (M092), Crawley, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PLoS biology [PLoS Biol] 2019 Aug 06; Vol. 17 (8), pp. e3000366. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Aug 06 (Print Publication: 2019).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000366
Abstrakt: Since the 1950s, industrial fisheries have expanded globally, as fishing vessels are required to travel further afield for fishing opportunities. Technological advancements and fishery subsidies have granted ever-increasing access to populations of sharks, tunas, billfishes, and other predators. Wilderness refuges, defined here as areas beyond the detectable range of human influence, are therefore increasingly rare. In order to achieve marine resources sustainability, large no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) with pelagic components are being implemented. However, such conservation efforts require knowledge of the critical habitats for predators, both across shallow reefs and the deeper ocean. Here, we fill this gap in knowledge across the Indo-Pacific by using 1,041 midwater baited videos to survey sharks and other pelagic predators such as rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata), mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), and black marlin (Istiompax indica). We modeled three key predator community attributes: vertebrate species richness, mean maximum body size, and shark abundance as a function of geomorphology, environmental conditions, and human pressures. All attributes were primarily driven by geomorphology (35%-62% variance explained) and environmental conditions (14%-49%). While human pressures had no influence on species richness, both body size and shark abundance responded strongly to distance to human markets (12%-20%). Refuges were identified at more than 1,250 km from human markets for body size and for shark abundance. These refuges were identified as remote and shallow seabed features, such as seamounts, submerged banks, and reefs. Worryingly, hotpots of large individuals and of shark abundance are presently under-represented within no-take MPAs that aim to effectively protect marine predators, such as the British Indian Ocean Territory. Population recovery of predators is unlikely to occur without strategic placement and effective enforcement of large no-take MPAs in both coastal and remote locations.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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