Effect of a small-scale fishing closure area on the demersal community in the NW Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

This study was conducted in the NW Mediterranean where the fishermen associaGon of Roses has closed during two years one of their fishing grounds. We compared the community structure between the closed fishing ground, and an adjacent area where fishing was allowed in order to explore the effects of a closed area on the epibenthic community. Results indicate that density of most representaGve taxonomic groups (i.e. teleost fishes, cnidarians, crustaceans and echinoderms) is significantly higher in the closed zone than in the surrounding fishing area. AddiGonally, mulGdimensional scaling analysis showed two well-defined assemblages corresponding to the samples where fishing was allowed and the closed zone. These results indicate that fishing closure is an appropriate measure to protect the epibenthic community