An integrated study of stakeholders and living resources in relation to the potential effectiveness of MPAs as a management tool (MPAtool)

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a promising tool for preventing overexploitation of marine biological resources. However, there are still few MPAs in temperate waters. Encouraged by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, the Institute of Marine Researc h and local commercial fishers, four MPAs intended as lobster reserves will be established in Skagerrak in 2006. Two of the main historically important commercially exploited species in Skagerrak are in need of renewed managerial effort. The Norwegian lob ster fishery has gradually decreased over the last 50 years. The situation for the coastal cod can be termed critical. This project aims to test if MPAs can be a management measure suitable for these species in Skagerrak, and further evaluate a wider appl ication of MPAs in Norway. We will examine socioeconomic as well as biological impacts of MPAs. We will do an integrated study of the Skagerrak coastal fishery in relation to implementation of MPAs. The aim is to obtain a broad understanding of the fishin g activities in Skagerrak, understand user conflicts, and analyse how MPAs can be used as a management tool. We will investigate the underlying biological mechanisms in order to understand whether MPAs are likely to be a successful tool for managing coast al fish stocks, such as cod. We anticipate that the proposed reserves can act as important model systems for a broad-scale establishment of MPAs in temperate waters and gather essential knowledge for future recommendations for MPA design and management.