Conservation leads to benefits: Large marine protected areas are boosting fish catch rates

Increases in catch rates for fish such as tuna have been demonstrated near recently created Large-Scale Marine Protected Areas (LSMPAs), including Revillagigedo in Mexico. This shows that LSPMAs are large enough to protect highly migratory species such as tuna, especially bigeye tuna. Those are the findings of two research scientists, including an economics professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, who analyzed publicly available data. The findings were published in Science on December 12.