Researchers Join Capacity Building Workshop on Fisheries Science and Marine Protected Areas

Researchers from the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) along with staff from the Coral Reef Research Foundation (CRRF) attended a workshop on fisheries science and marine protected areas (MPAs) led by Dr. Alyssa Marshell and Dr. Nils Krueck from the University of Tasmania. The workshop provided attendees with valuable knowledge and skills to contribute to the future of Palau’s ocean resources.

An MPA is a defined region designated and managed for the long-term conservation of marine resources, ecosystem services, or cultural heritage. The Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) is a large-scale MPA that covers over 183,000 square miles and spans larger than the land area of the Philippines. However, Palau also has many smaller MPAs helping to conserve areas of ecological importance. Deciphering the appropriate size and location of MPAs is pivotal in determining their effectiveness.  

On September 9, Dr. Nils Krueck led day 1 of the workshop which focused on key MPA design considerations. Participants were provided with case studies of successful MPAs around the world, including an example from Indonesia, where MPAs were established in partnership with the local community to protect coral trout, an important fishery species. Participants in the workshop also had the opportunity to practice using a decision support tool designed to help users create cost-effective spatial plans to meet conservation goals.  Another exercise included using a MPA size optimization software, ‘MPA Size for Fish Protection’, to estimate the most effective MPA sizes to meet varying levels of protection. “Moving forward, this tool can be used to assess how effective Palau’s MPAs are, and to help in the designing process of new MPAs in the future”, said PICRC researcher, Christina Muller-Karanassos.

The following day, Dr. Alyssa Marshell conducted a session on fisheries science and management with a focus on fish stock assessments, life history parameters, and population dynamics. An important element was learning how to use stock assessment models and biological reference points to determine the status of fish populations. This was reinforced by the opportunity to produce relevant graphs using examples of fisheries data. The knowledge gained from undertaking these activities can be used to assess Palau’s fish stocks into the future.

Additionally, on September 5, a community night lecture was held about the ecology of grouper spawning aggregations in Palau. This was conducted by Dr. Alyssa Marshell who lived and worked in Palau from 2014 to 2015, based at PICRC. It was a privilege to have Dr. Alyssa Marshell present the results of one of the projects she assisted on during her time in Palau.

Thank you to Dr. Nils Krueck and Dr. Alyssa Marshell for conducting this valuable workshop for PICRC employees and other industry members.