Significance of marine protected areas in central Chile as seeding grounds for the gastropod Concholepas concholepas

Published source details Manríquez P. & Castilla J. (2001) Significance of marine protected areas in central Chile as seeding grounds for the gastropod Concholepas concholepas. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 215, 201-211.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Establish territorial user rights for fisheries Action Link

Establish territorial user rights for fisheries

A site comparison study in 1993–1994 in two rocky seabed areas in the South Pacific Ocean, central Chile (Manríquez & Castilla 2001) found that an area with territorial user rights for fisheries had larger-sized and more numerous egg capsules, and more larvae of the Chilean abalone Concholepas concholepas compared to an open-access area, up to 21 months after establishing fishing restrictions. Egg capsules were bigger in the semi-restricted area (1.9–2.0 cm) than in the open-access area (1.5–1.6 cm). On average, more egg capsules and larvae were produced annually in the semi-restricted area (1993: 69,300 egg capsules/transect, 429 million larvae/transect; 1994: 76,000 egg capsules, 534 million larvae) than in the open-access area (1993: 6,600 egg capsules, 23 million larvae; 1994: 9,900 egg capsules, 34 million larvae). Between January 1993 and December 1994, one diver surveyed a total of 34 transects (90 m²) across two areas. One area (12 transects in both 1993 and 1994) was under the control of a fishermen’s Union group established in 1993 and semi-restricted to fishing (territorial user rights). The other area was an adjacent open-access fishery ground where harvest of the Chilean abalone occurred year-round (six transects in 1993, four transects in 1994). Along each transects, the diver counted and measured Chilean abalone egg capsules, and estimated the number of larvae.

(Summarised by: Anaëlle Lemasson)