Untangling the benefits of protected areas in fisheries

Studies of marine protected areas as a tool for fisheries management have shown that protected areas have the potential to improve the level of resource rent generated in Me fishery. The benefits to the fishery from protected areas have been shown to increase with sub-optimal management. However, some benefit that is derived from protected area creation in these circumstances is attributed to changes in effort levels. Both unique benefits, such as the hedge benefits of protected area creation, and non-unique benefits, such as shifts in effort levels towards optimal levels, are explored. Examples are taken from analysis of protected area creation in a predator-prey meta-population fishery under several different scenarios. It is suggested that much of the gain from protected area creation under sub-optimal management can be attributed to non-unique benefits, with the policy implications of this analysis also explored.