Marine protected areas (MPAs) are areas in the ocean where fishing is either prohibited or tightly controlled to – hopefully – conserve ocean resources and protect species and habitats.
But do MPAs work? And does one type of MPA work better than another?
Our recent journal article in PNAS addressed that question and found that both no-take (where fishing is prohibited) and multiple-use (fished) MPAs see increases in the numbers of fish.
Shu Yang and Brian Reich are NC State statisticians who worked on this project, which was led by the Duke Marine Laboratory. They responded in writing to questions from The Abstract about the research and the role that statistics play in important projects like this one; see NC State News.