Influence of Zoning and Habitats on the Spatial Distribution of Recreational Activities in a Multiple-Use Marine Park

Decadal increase in the number of recreational users is concentrated in no-take marine reserves

“…This last possibility is consistent with the fact that over the years increasing numbers of boats have visited the Signal and Laregnere no-take reserves, where fish assemblages have been replenished through protection (Wantiez et al, 1997;Wantiez et al, 2004), and where amenities have been substantially developed in recent years. Such factors are consistent with the findings of Shivlani and Suman (2000) and Smallwood et al (2012b), who show that recreational users are more likely to be found within MPAs. In addition to the benefits of protection, these two islets are located relatively close to Noumea city, and proximity is strong incentive for boaters.…”

“…However, in recent years several studies have assessed spatial patterns in recreational uses from field data (see references below). They show that the spatial distribution of boaters depends on factors such as habitat type, adjacent land tenure, MPA setting, boat type (Sidman and Fik, 2005;Dalton et al, 2010;Smallwood et al, 2011), and activity (Shivlani and Suman, 2000;Smallwood et al, 2012b). To our knowledge, there is no study documenting the inter-annual evolution of such spatial patterns, although it might be expected that the increase and diversification of recreational activities are likely to affect the spatial distribution of users.…”

“…Like spatial patterns, the short-term temporal distribution of recreational users depends on boat type and activity (Smallwood et al, 2011). A number of studies show that several factors significantly influence the number and spatial distribution of boats, including season, day type and weather conditions (Kuentzel and Heberlein, 1992;Smallwood et al, 2012a;Smallwood et al, 2012b;Smallwood, 2011;Martin and Hall-Arber, 2008;Gray et al, 2010;Dalton et al, 2010;Widmer and Underwood, 2004;Balaguer et al, 2011;Navarro-Jurado et al, 2013). These studies show that more boats are observed at weekends and on bank holidays (e.g.…”

Small‐scale estimation of recreational fishing effort and catch from broad‐scale survey data: A case study using multiple‐use Marine Protected Areas in Western Australia

“…We explored the potential for re‐purposing broad‐scale survey data to obtain effort and catch data at fine‐spatial scales by assessing four direct estimation approaches, using MPAs as a case study. Although ad hoc studies at some multiple‐use MPAs in Western Australia have shown recreational fishing to be popular (Hastings & Ryan, 2017; Smallwood et al, 2012a), this activity is not currently being systematically monitored. Our study addresses an important knowledge gap by providing simultaneous effort and catch estimates for numerous MPAs across multiple years, using a consistent and probability‐based methodological approach.…”

First Steps at First Point: Protecting California Surf Breaks and the Malibu Historic District

“…Many of California's high quality surf breaks are located within state or federal areas designated to protect marine or land habitats and their biodiversity, such as Southern California's Black's Beach (San Diego County) within the San Diego-Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation Area and Northern California's Point Arena (Mendocino County) within the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Surfing as a nonconsumptive, relatively nondestructive activity is most often a compatible recreational use in these areas, and protections from habitat-destroying activities indirectly extend to surfing there, too (Smallwood, Beckley, and Moore 2012;Towner, 2016). In California site-specific, binding protections for surf breaks-and therefore explicit recognition of their particular social, economic, recreational, and cultural values-remain absent (Atkin et al 2020;Blum 2015;Reiblich 2013).…”