Adult Movement Patterns
Design Tip
Adult species movement patterns vary greatly. To protect a range of species within the MPA, a range of adult movement patterns needs to be considered in the MPA network design.
The movement patterns of adult species are important to consider in MPA design. How much protection an MPA affords a species depends (to some degree) on movement habits and distances of the individual (both as adult and larvae).
If adults move widely, the ocean neighborhood1 is large and diffuse. If adults are sessile, then the ocean neighborhood might be small and distinct.
The following MPA design principles are recommended to address adult movement patterns:
- Gather information on target species adult movement distances and patterns. Information about the species’ ocean neighborhood can provide insights to help guide MPA size and spacing. For example, the size of the MPA can be based on adult neighborhood scales of highly fished species to ensure that at least some adults remain protected during the adult life stage.
- Ultimately, an MPA that accommodates species with the largest adult movement patterns should protect species with smaller adult movement distances as well. For example, MPAs designed to ensure self-seeding for species that move up to 100 km as adults should be sufficient for self-seeding of species that move only 10 km as adults.
| Range of Movement (km) | Adult Lifestage | Larval Lifestage |
| > 1000s | Large migratory species (e.g., baleen whales, turtles) | Many species |
| 100s – 1000s | Large pelagic fish (e.g., blue fin tuna) | Some fish |
| 10s – 100s | Most benthic fish and small pelagic fish (e.g., mackerel, kingfish) | Most fish; most invertebrates |
| 1 – 10s | Small benthic fish and benthic invertebrates | Algae, planktonic direct developers, few fish |
| <1 | Sessile species and species with highly specialized habitat needs | Benthic species and direct developers |
| Adapted from Palumbi 2004 | ||
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The movement patterns of adult fish can provide information to help guide MPA size and spacing. Photo © ARVAM (reefbase.org) |
This graph shows the maximum distances that tagged fishes traveled from marine reserves in Kenya (violet), Alaska (navy), and Florida (turquoise). These studies provide direct evidence that fishes spillover from marine reserves into surrounding waters. PISCO 2007. |
1 Palumbi 2004