Managing the Groundfish Industry on Sensitive Benthic Areas of Interest for Marine Protected Area Network Establishment in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion

Abstract

Increases to the number and extent of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in recent decades is been critical for the conservation of coastal and marine environments. Canada has met its original target of conserving 10% of their oceans by 2020 and are intending to increase their commitments to conserving 30% of their ocean by 2030. This includes designating sites aimed at protecting coral and sponge species whose habitat-building capabilities may support entire ecosystems. These coral and sponge reefs may be at risk of smothering and physical disturbance from nearby fisheries operations, yet the socioeconomic necessity of the fishing industry must be considered in MPA development. Stakeholder identification and prioritization analyses were used to determine that those operating within the groundfish industry were likely to be significantly affected by benthic MPA designation on Canada’s Scotian Shelf as a result of decreased fishing territory that could correlate into reduced quotas and increased costs of travelling to and from fishing grounds. A Marxan analysis with conservation targets ranging between 15-50% for sensitive benthic areas (SBAs) on the Scotian Shelf was performed to determine the optimal locations for an MPA network that minimally affected groundfish operators. The conservation targets were set against the locations of known groundfish industry operations. The 15% and 25% scenarios resulted in the best output of Areas of Interest for MPA designation because there was minimal overlap between SBAs and fisheries. Maintaining opportunities for Canada’s coastal industries while conserving unique marine features is key for developing a sustainable economy. Keywords: marine protected area; Nova Scotia; sensitive benthic areas; coral; groundfish; commercial fishing