Sustainability or fun? Recreational angling in Marine Protected Areas

Abstract

Gokova Bay MPAs (southern Aegean Sea, Turkey) include six different no-take zones (NTZs: Akyaka, camli, Akbuk, Boncuk-Karaca, Ingiliz Limani, Bordubet), in four of which shore angling is permitted (Akyaka, camli, Akbuk, Boncuk-Karaca). This study determined the total catch and size of fish caught in the Akyaka MPA during recreational fishing. In total, fish representing 22 species belonging to 10 families were caught and most of them were smaller than their length at first maturity. The projection showed that the total catch weight reached significant values for recreational angling in the Akyaka MPA. The results of this study indicate that recreational angling may pose a threat to both MPAs and no-take zones, causing them to deviate from their primary conservation goal due to the harvesting of juveniles by recreational anglers.