Marine reserves in the past have often been controversial because they can create a “no take” zone, which keeps the local community from fishing their favorite part of the coastline.
Hundreds of years ago the Hawaiian royalty created no-take zones often and that was based on the behaviour and breeding of certain valuable fish species. Fish like the moi we banned from taking during their migration into the estuaries for breeding, and in many ahupua‘a an entire reef system was closed for fishing for half of the year to allow for a successful breeding season. By studying the native fish population the Hawaiians managed their fish takes, so there was always enough fish for the next generation.
I set out on an adventure 10 years ago to travel around the world and study successful marine sanctuaries and no-take zones to see if they actually worked to increase the amount of fish the local community was able to catch. I wanted to know if the closing of a reef for fishing created a long term sustainable fishery for each area. I traveled to and studied long term marine sanctuaries in Palau, Philippines, Caribbean, Indonesia, California and the Galapagos Islands and I was amazed at what I found.
Due to the use of DNA, we now know fish will breed in one area and their fertilized eggs may drift on currents for many miles before settling down on the reef to grow into adults. In some locations, the fish may breed on one island, then the currents move the babies all the way to a different island where they will grow into adults. In Hawai‘i, we see some fish species that may be reproducing in Kaua‘i, but their babies drift on currents all the way out to Ni‘ihau!
Almost all successful marine sanctuaries I studied worldwide were at first looked down upon by local fishermen, but 10 years down the road the fishermen were very happy because there was a dramatic increase in fish to catch just outside the boundaries of the sanctuary.
In Palau, the fishermen had to drive their boats up to 40 miles every day to catch fish for the community because the fish close to their home had been depleted. The government of Palau turned about 30 percent of their islands into no-take zones and within 10 years the local fishermen now only drive their boats a few miles to catch all the fish they need. Everyone is happy and so am I because the scuba diving in the no-take areas is just spectacular.
I found the marine sanctuaries that were the most successful were placed in areas of the reef system that were the natural “baby farms.” When these areas were fully protected, the reproductive rate of the fish dramatically increased and their offspring drifted down the coast repopulating reefs outside of the no-take zones. One single marine sanctuary can repopulate an entire island with fish, which creates a sustainable fishery.
On Kaua‘i’s South Shore is a calm bay at Koloa Landing and this bay is the “baby farm” for the entire coastline. Due to the wind and surf, most of the South Shore isn’t suitable for fish to breed in so much of the reproductive activity happens at Koloa Landing. This concentration of fish makes the area excellent for scuba diving, which brings in money to the local community, and divers worldwide enjoy the amazing variety of species that congregate there to breed.
If Koloa Landing was turned into a marine sanctuary and no-take zone there would be even more babies produced there, and these babies would drift out of the cove and repopulate the entire coastline. If you protect the “baby farm” then there is a constant replacement of new fish along the coastline which grow into big fish we can take.
It has been estimated that if 30 percent of our oceans were set aside in marine sanctuaries and no-take zones then the rest of the sea would have a sustainable fishery for the next generation and beyond. The key is to have the areas of the reef protected that are where the fish reproduce.
I have visited some marine sanctuaries that were not successful because they were located along parts of the reef where the fish were deleted. But in areas where the fish do not reproduce so good, studies need to be done by the local community in each area to determine the best place for the sanctuary.
I did a movie about the successful marine sanctuary on Apo Island in the Philippines where the entire island was overfished and the people who lived there had to buy fish to eat. Half of the island was set aside in a no-take zone 30 years ago, and now the local fisherman catch plenty of fish outside the sanctuary that they sell fish to five other islands.
They built a brand new high school on Apo Island with the profits from a dive resort and fish sales, and all the kids at school have a shirt they wear that has a big ulua on the back with the wording, “If They Live We Live.” Apo Island now has a sustainable fishery and a wonderful dive resort with beautiful corals just packed with fish.
You can see my worldwide series about marine sanctuaries up on my web page at www.underwater2web.com and my YouTube at Underwater2web. I have a very nice movie posted about the amazing marine life at Koloa Landing in Kaua‘i.
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Terry Lilley is a marine biologist living in Hanalei Kaua‘i and co-founder of Reef Guardians Hawai‘i, a nonprofit on a mission to provide education and resources to protect the coral reef. To donate to Reef Guardians Hawai‘i go to www.reefguardianshawaii.org.
