The design (location and size) of sustaining, no-take reserves was investigated by combining realistic numerical simulations of larval dispersal from a sedentary marine species with a population dynamics model. The method explored, a priori: (1) the planktonic larval duration (PLD) of self-persistent populations within no-take reserves with radii from 1 to 20 km, (2) the size of a no-take reserve reaching self-persistent recruitment of the reserve population, and (3) offspring spillover to adjacent fisheries for PLDs from 1 to 6 weeks. In the Gulf of Lions (northwest Mediterranean), as the radius of a no-take reserve increased to 20 km, the median PLD of a selfpersistent species within the reserve increased from 2 to 6.5 d. No unique relation between PLD and sustaining notake reserve size could be established because of large spatial and temporal variabilities, thus precluding any general guidelines for marine protected area sizes. For species with mass spawning lasting , 3 d, variability due to spawning timing yielded twice the spatial variability, reflecting strong wind variability. In contrast, when spawning lasted more than 10 d, the spawning location became more important. Thus, a biological process (spawning duration) can trigger deterministic and stochastic effects of environmental variability. Finally, some unprotected areas (Narbonne to Agde and the Camargue) clearly appeared to be better locations than the existing no-take reserves for maximizing biodiversity persistence within a reasonable no-take reserve size (10 to 20 km) and for producing offspring spillover important for regional fisheries (80%).During the 10th meeting of the

This study evaluates the fishing pressure exerted by the most common recreational and professional, small-scale fishing practices on vulnerable target and bycatch species in coastal and offshore waters of the western Mediterranean. By combining multiple data sources, we assembled a unique dataset on catches at multiple sites in these areas by recreational (RF) and small-scale fisheries (SSF), covering the period from 1997 to 2015. Furthermore, a framework with which to identify the vulnerable species among all the species caught is provided; it is based on the IUCN Red List, international conventions for the protection of flora and fauna, the Habitats Directive and the intrinsic vulnerability index of marine fish. Overall, about a quarter of exploited species targeted by SSF and RF in coastal waters were vulnerable, making up nearly 50% of the total SSF catch and nearly 20% of the total recreational catch. In offshore waters, 100% of the RF and SSF catch was made up of vulnerable species. Among the species caught as bycatch in both areas by SSF and RF, there was a total of 27 vulnerable vertebrate species, which included birds, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and sea turtles. Our results highlight the need to differentiate between different fishing methods or gears when studying the fishing impacts on vulnerable species. The results also indicate that, although RF and SSF are often considered to have a relatively low ecological impact, a range of different fishing methods are affecting vulnerable species in coastal or offshore waters in the western Mediterranean Sea, be they targeted or taken unintentionally as bycatch.

Aim Ecological connectivity is currently considered to be essential to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts and benefit adjacent areas. We evaluate the spatial structure of vulnerable marine benthic invertebrate populations based on connectivity to improve the placement of marine protected areas. Location Gulf of Lions, NW Mediterranean Sea. Methods We used a spatially explicit metapopulation model to explore how larval dispersal affects marine benthic invertebrate dynamics at local and regional scales. Minimum recruitment success (the proportion of larvae that settle in a site and survive between spawning and first reproduction, which is required to ensure species persistence) is proposed as a measure of vulnerability. Three contrasting simulations were constructed: closed versus connected populations, habitat loss versus recruitment failure disturbances and varying patterns of oceanographic connectivity. The rescue factor (the ratio of minimum recruitment success in connected and closed populations) quantified the decrease in vulnerability because of oceanographic connectivity. Results In the Gulf of Lions, connectivity reduced population vulnerability by a rescue factor of 5.3. The minimum recruitment success for regional persistence decreased from 3% to 0.2% when species' life expectancies increased from 2 to 50 years. Connectivity enabled the spread of individuals over the entire region, but there were higher densities in sink sites, where low retention rates do not allow for local persistence (western tip of the gulf). Source sites, defined as those sites bringing metapopulation resistance to recruitment failure and stresses from habitat loss, were located in the centre of the gulf. Main conclusions Connectivity drives the spatial structure of population density distribution and population vulnerability in the absence of any other structuring factor. In the Gulf of Lions, marine protected areas are located in population sinks; however; if protection measures were taken in the central part, populations would benefit throughout the region via the rescue effect.

Most fish stocks world‐wide are fished at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) or overfished, as many fisheries management strategies have failed to achieve sustainable fishing. Identifying effective fisheries management strategies has now become urgent. Here, we developed a spatially explicit metapopulation model accounting for population connectivity in the north‐western Mediterranean Sea, and parameterized it for three ecologically and economically important coastal fish species: the white seabream Diplodus sargus, the two‐banded seabream Diplodus vulgaris and the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus. We used the model to assess how stock biomass and catches respond to changes in fishing mortality rate (F) and in the size of fully protected areas within the existing system of multiple‐use marine protected areas (MPAs). For each species, we estimated MSY and the corresponding values of stock biomass (BMSY) and fishing mortality rate (FMSY), providing crucial reference points for the assessment of fisheries management. Diplodus sargus is currently in low overfishing, while D. vulgaris and E. marginatus are in high overfishing. Stock recovery to BMSY for the last two species requires a reduction of current F around 50%. This would guarantee an increase in both stock biomass (around 50% and 75% for D. vulgaris and E. marginatus respectively) and catch (around 15% and 30%) after a transient time of ~15–30 years. Alternatively, doubling the size of fully protected areas over fishable areas within the existing network of MPAs would lead to positive conservation effects for all three species without substantially affecting the overall productivity of the fishery and the total economic value of the catch. Synthesis and applications. We provide the first assessment of stock status for three coastal species in the north‐western Mediterranean and evaluate the ecological and fisheries outcomes of different management strategies. Extending full protection inside existing multiple‐use marine protected areas or reducing fishing effort outside can deliver both conservation and fisheries benefits.