Monitoring the sustainability of Lessonia nigrescens (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) in northern Chile under strong harvest pressure

In the last decade, exploitation of Lessonia nigrescens in northern Chile has been carried out using the best practices agreed upon by consensus between fishermen, industry, government, and scientists. These practices focus on the selective harvest of sporophytes to allow the maintenance of a reprod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied phycology 2014-04, Vol.26 (2), p.791-801
Main Authors: Vega, J. M. Alonso, Broitman, Bernardo R, Vásquez, Julio A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
coasts
collaborative management
conservation areas
Ecology
fishermen
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
grazing
harvesting
herbivores
industry
Laminariales
Lessonia
Lessonia nigrescens
Life Sciences
macroalgae
Marine
monitoring
Phaeophyceae
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
recruitment
scientists
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Summary:In the last decade, exploitation of Lessonia nigrescens in northern Chile has been carried out using the best practices agreed upon by consensus between fishermen, industry, government, and scientists. These practices focus on the selective harvest of sporophytes to allow the maintenance of a reproductive stock, facilitating recruitment and minimizing grazing of benthic herbivores. To improve coverage and accessibility, enforcement of administration measures along the northern coast of Chile requires ecological indicators to monitor the sustainability of Lessonia kelps. Over 2 years, density, biomass, recruitment, and size structure of Lessonia were sampled seasonally in coastal areas with different regimens of harvesting administration as follows: (1) Management Areas for Exploitation of Benthic Resources (MAEBR), (2) Open Access Areas (OAA), and (3) Marine Protected Areas without human intervention. The use of demographic parameters as ecological indicators allows discrimination between kelp beds where good harvesting practices have been applied by users (MAEBR), and areas where management recommendations have not been put in practice (OAA). The ecological indicators reinforced the concept of co-management in MAEBR as a viable harvesting administration system along the Chilean coast, and indicated a high-harvesting pressure in OAA. Moreover, together with other harvesting parameters, they could be useful to justify the application of other administration strategies, such as quotas or bans.
ISSN:0921-8971
1573-5176
DOI:10.1007/s10811-013-0167-4