Inconsistent benefits of a freshwater protected area for artisanal fisheries and biodiversity in a South-east Asian wetland
C. Srinoparatwatana A B C and G. Hyndes B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Agricultural Technology, Nakhon Sawan Rajabhat University, 398 Sawanvithee Road, Nakhon Sawan 60000, Thailand.
B School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: chongdee.s@nsru.ac.th
Marine and Freshwater Research 62(5) 462-470 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10232
Submitted: 30 August 2010 Accepted: 25 February 2011 Published: 25 May 2011
Abstract
Spatial closure management is a strategy used throughout the world for a range of goals, including protecting aquatic biodiversity and promoting fish production. However, benefits of freshwater protected areas (FPAs) have seldom been assessed. The present study is, therefore, one of the few that has compared the abundances, biomass and size structure of fish species between a FPA and the adjacent fished area. Fish assemblages in a large freshwater swamp (Beung Borapet) in Thailand were sampled with fish traps to test the hypothesis that the FPA would enhance fisheries production and biodiversity. Total densities and biomass of fish did not differ or were inconsistent between FPA and the fished area, and these patterns were inconsistent among several dominant species. Only one dominant species had higher densities and biomass in the FPA, which also did not appear to result in an increase in the size of fish. The benefits of the FPA for fisheries enhancement and conservation of biodiversity are inconsistent and appear to be compromised by a combination of non-selective fishing methods, illegal fishing activities and point-source impacts from other human disturbances. Spatial management therefore needs to be tailored to the socioeconomic structure of the community, resource availability for compliance, and multiple management-agency objectives.
Additional keywords: aquatic protected area, freshwater fish, inland fishery, no-take zone, trap fishery.
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