Fish Movement and Its Relation to Marine Spatial Management Strategies: What Have We Learned?

The use of marine spatial management strategies such as the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) has become a common tool in fisheries management all over the world. The actual success of these management strategies, however, is a topic of great debate. There is general consensus that MPAs create refuge for larger and older individuals of species targeted by fishing, but there is very little empirical evidence that MPAs enhance fishery yields to areas outside of protected boundaries. Of primary importance to this debate is an accurate assessment of how individuals and populations of targeted species move through their environment. Only with this information will scientists and managers be able to predict and understand the impacts of spatial management efforts. Understanding the movement patterns of individuals or populations is critical because 1) movement creates the spatial patterns of abundance we observe, 2) trophic interactions will be related to how animals move through their environment, and 3) effects of exploitation or environmental perturbations will be influenced by patterns of movement. Here, we review recent findings of fish and invertebrate movement based on empirical and model-derived studies. We then place these findings into context of how various movement patterns could potentially impact the success of spatial management strategies depending on the goals of management.