Advancing marine conservation
Mangar, R.S. (2022) Understanding the fishers to change the fishery: why did fishers start, stay, and stop bottom trawling? MSc dissertation. The University of British Columbia. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/83519… Read more
Bans on exploitation and trade are increasingly being used in wildlife conservation. However, their effects on small, incidentally caught marine fishes are rarely examined. For my thesis, I evaluate the impact of one such paired ban in India, across different spatial scales, on the conservation of seahorse species and on the fishers who depend on …
Intense human pressures require that conservation be nimble and action-oriented even in the face of significant data limitations. In the ocean, invertebrates comprise over 95% of animal biodiversity and are a major component of fisheries catch. Yet, exceedingly little effort is dedicated to supporting conservation of these taxa. The goal of this thesis is to …
Securing a healthy and biodiverse ocean is vital to our human wellbeing. However, marine conservation is challenging, especially for data-poor species, whose habitats and threats are understudied. My dissertation explored how to address such challenges at two large spatial scales (in China and globally), with a focus on the little studied seahorses (Hippocampus spp.). In …
Seahorses and their relatives, the pipefishes, (family Syngnathidae) are a group of charismatic marine fishes found in coastal habitats including estuaries, mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs. Knowledge of habitat use by species of conservation concern is important when evaluating the relative contribution of a marine protected area to recovery efforts. This study presents the results …
To confirm their effectiveness, long-term monitoring of marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical. Such longitudinal sampling can, however, pose problems of methodology, particularly as more preferred tools may evolve over time. My research sought to understand how two commonly used methods, line intercept transect (LIT) and photoquadrat (PQ), which were used sequentially in MPA monitoring, …
International trade regulations are important tools to ensure sustainable use of wildlife, but their effects on marine fishes are rarely examined. In this thesis, I evaluated patterns and changes in international trade of marine fishes whose exports are regulated under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). …
Overall, this thesis expands on our ecological understanding of a group of biologically diverse marine fishes by investigating how they are shaped by their habitats, prey, and predators. In my first data chapter, I used the seahorse Hippocampus whitei as a case study for investigating the ecological correlates of syngnathid abundance and distributions. Expanding on …
Fishing provides an essential source of protein for half a billion people, but many fisheries damage ocean ecosystems including coral reefs. I demonstrated that small-scale fisheries in the Philippines shifted from benign to damaging through several mechanisms and had long-term effects on corals. Fishing effort increased 2.5-fold overall, and over 20-fold in some locations. Increases …
In this thesis I explore how to develop conservation action strategically for data-poor marine fishes. The dearth of information about populations, habitats and threats for many marine fishes makes it difficult to know how or where to initiate conservation strategies. My PhD research explores what type of information is essential for conservation management, and how …