Distance from a Fishing Community Explains Fish Abundance in a No-Take Zone with Weak Compliance

摘要: There are numerous examples of no-take marine reserves effectively conserving fish stocks within their boundaries. However, can be rendered ineffective and turned into ‘paper parks’ through poor compliance weak enforcement reserve regulations. Long-term monitoring is thus essential to assess the effectiveness in meeting conservation management objectives. This study documents present state 15-year old zone (NTZ) South El Ghargana Nabq Managed Resource Protected Area, Sinai, Egyptian Red Sea. Previous studies credited willing by local fishing community for increased abundances targeted designated NTZ boundaries compared adjacent fished or take-zones. We benthic habitat abundance take sites open fishing, but found no significant effect reserve. Instead, strongest evidence was a simple negative relationship between pressure distance from closest village. The piscivorous significantly with increasing village, while herbivorous showed opposite trend. gradient supported corresponding correlation amount discarded gear observed on reef Discarded suggested decreased Our findings indicate that due non-compliance longer functioning effectively, despite its apparent initial successes instead exists nearest community.