Thursday May 30, 2024
Science Daily —
A team of researchers in France from the “Pole MIAME” that gathers diadromous fish experts from multiple research institutions (OFB, INRAE, Institut Agro and UPPA) have developed a new modelling approach that accurately predicts core and unsuitable habitats of rare and data-poor diadromous fish (fish which migrate between marine and freshwater), such as threatened shads and the IUCN red-listed ‘critically endangered’ European eel.
The researchers found that 62% of MPAs which are specifically meant to protect diadromous fish species, don’t overlap with the core habitats of the fish modelled in the study.
In fact, only 55% of the modelled core habitats of diadromous fish fell within any MPAs, and of these protected areas, only had half had specific measures to protect the species.
When looking at individual species, the researchers found that less than 30% of the endangered Mediterranean twaite shad (Alosa agone) core habitat was within MPAs.