Beyond the boundaries: How regulation-centered marine protected area information improves ocean protection assessments

A comprehensive analysis reveals that 85% of U.S. waters are subject to managed areas restricting living resource extraction, with only 3% designated as highly protected no-take zones. Notably, Papahānaumokuākea and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monuments host significant portions of these highly protected areas, primarily in low-populated regions. The study, leveraging the ProtectedSeas database, demonstrates that incorporating regulatory information enhances ocean protection assessments, particularly by illustrating how overlapping management and gear restrictions can amplify overall protection levels. For instance, California's state waters show that 40% are under some form of marine protected area (MPA) management, with 13.4% benefiting from high-level fishing impact protection. The research underscores the importance of granular regulatory data in informing both current and future conservation strategies, offering ocean users clearer pathways to compliance.

Sletten, J., D’Iorio, M., Gleason, M. G., Driedger, A., Vincent, T., Colegrove, C., Wright, D., & Zetterlind, V. (2021). Beyond the boundaries: How regulation-centered marine protected area information improves ocean protection assessments. Marine Policy, 124, 104340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104340