Lemon sharks benefit from Marine Protected Area in Turks & Caicos

You may be forgiven for thinking that the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) would obviously lead to a greater abundance and diversity of marine life within the MPA as oppose to outside it's boundaries. However whilst creating marine reserves does typically lead to a greater density and size of organisms within the reserve boundaries, it is not to be assumed that this will be the case and until the particular reserve has been assessed it's success may largely be unknown.

In 1992, Bell Sound Nature Reserve (BSNR) in the Turks and Caicos Islands was established with a view to protect juvenile bonefish which are targeted in the Turks and Caicos Islands. A team of shark researchers led by Aaron Henderson from the Center for Marine Resource Studies in South Caicos have investigated whether this MPA is also having an effect on populations of the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris).

Lemon sharks are classified as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List as they are caught in both commercial and recreational fisheries; as yet no management plans have been put in place to protect these sharks.

The researchers observed higher numbers of lemon sharks within BSNR than in the waters outside the reserve. Lemon sharks do exhibit a preference for shallower water and so the increased quantity of sharks within BSNR could be owing to habitat selection rather than protection from fishing, however he researchers surmised that the protection from predation offered by the MPA was attractive to the sharks and could cause them to want to remain in the reserve as oppose to moving outside.

Whilst the reasons for the higher number of sharks inside the MPA as oppose to outside is not yet entirely clear, the conclusions drawn were that BSNR is important to the local juvenile lemon shark population.