882
Conservation Biology, Pages 882–887
Volume 13, No. 4, August 1999
Evaluating the Effects of Three Forms of Marine
Reserve on Northern Abalone Populations in British
Columbia, Canada
S. SCOTT WALLACE
Resource Management and Environmental Studies, University of British Columbia, 436E–2206 East Mall,
Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada, email sscott@interchange.ubc.ca
Abstract:
Marine reserves have been suggested as tools for assisting the management of fisheries by protect-
ing vulnerable marine species from overexploitation. Although there is a theoretical basis for believing that
marine reserves may serve as management tools, there are few marine reserves in the world in which to test
their effectiveness. My research evaluated three forms of marine reserve on the south coast of Vancouver Is-
land, British Columbia, Canada. I used northern abalone (
Haliotis kamtschatkana
), a severely depleted shell-
fish in this region, as an indicator of the effectiveness of the reserves. Abalone populations in eight sites re-
ceiving different degrees of spatial protection were counted and measured in situ during the spring of 1996
and 1997. In all sites with enforced harvest closures, populations of abalone were greater, and one site with
nearly 40 years of protection had on average much larger (older) abalone. Reproductive output, as a func-
tion of abundance and size, was also greater in the enforced reserve areas. Larval dispersal from reserves,
and hence the benefit to exploited areas, was not formally surveyed. Nevertheless, the results of my study,
combined with knowledge of present abalone populations, life history, and regional hydrodynamics, suggest
that establishment of reserves is justified in the absence of perfect knowledge of larval dispersal.
Evaluación del Efecto de Tres Tipos de Reservas Marinas sobre Poblaciones de Abulón del Norte en Columbia
Británica, Canadá
Resumen:
Se ha sugerido que la reservas marinas son un instrumento para el manejo de pesquerías al pro-
teger