Scientists have shown for the first time that protecting highly valuable but imperiled tuna in huge marine preserves pays off in the recovery of so many of the migratory fish that catch rates for some species increased 54% near a Hawaii reserve where fishing had been banned.
That’s due to what is called the “spillover effect,” when protected tuna populations grow so healthy that they expand beyond a marine protected area. Those reserves, however, must be carefully designed and tailored to the biology of the species being safeguarded, according to the researchers.
Scientists have previously proved that marine protected areas that prohibit fishing benefit populations of coral, lobsters and other critters that don’t travel much and are more easily studied. But whether those preserves help tuna, which can migrate thousands of miles from their spawning grounds, had been an open question.
