Dive Into Your Imagination

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) sometimes cause a lot of controversy between conservationists, who want to protect and replenish fish populations, and fishermen, who need to make a living by fishing rich areas like these so we have great seafood to eat. Helen Fox is studying the effectiveness of MPAs in her work as the Senior Marine Conservation Biologist at WWF- the World Wildlife Fund.

In general, what do Marine Protected Areas (areas of the marine environment where life is not allowed to be taken from or killed) impact?
Marine Protected Areas can impact local peoples’ incomes, food security and health, as well as biodiversity and fish abundance. By studying and understanding these impacts, we can identify factors that result in successful MPAs that sustain fish and fisheries-dependent local communities. Researchers have found that MPAs can improve the local economy through increased tourism revenue, and can help fisheries through “spillover” of adult fish into surrounding waters that are allowed to be fished. This is why “fishing the line” (border) of MPAs is a common practice. Also, in theory, “seeding” of larvae helps the fishing economy, since MPAs protect BOFFFFs: Big Old Fat Fecund Female Fish, who spawn many more, and healthier, eggs than their smaller, unprotected counterparts.

Do you know yet if these benefits are actually occurring?
Definitely, in some situations, researchers have found that closing part of an area to fishing (often combined with ensuring local community exclusive rights and fishing access to the remaining area) results in increased fisheries and decreased poverty—TNC did a recent study that you can read about here: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/protectedareas/howwework/art23185.html
However, others have found MPAs have NOT protected both fisheries and livelihoods, so my colleagues and I are interested in understanding why there is this variation, and if we can learn from successes and failures both in order to scale up marine conservation more effectively (we haven’t yet started our proposed field work due to funding constraints).

We hope you find that they are working! How are you studying the importance and usefulness of these areas?
We have an interdisciplinary team including ecologists and social scientists working on Marine Protected Area design and impacts from a biological and social standpoint. MPAs have been a core conservation tool for decades, yet as fisheries continue to decline, debate about if they are actually benefitting fisheries management and poverty alleviation has slowed the implementation of more MPAs. We are developing “impact evaluation” approaches (using practices from medicine and education) to address this debate. We are working with science partners to build upon existing and local knowledge to study new (prospective) and already existing, established (retrospective) MPAs.

You also previously worked on Coral Reefs and different types of damage to them, including blast fishing. What is that?
I worked on dynamite or “blast” fishing in Indonesia for my PhD research with Roy Caldwell at UC Berkeley. Blast fishing is an illegal and unsustainable fishing technique in which homemade bombs are detonated over the reefs, shattering corals and indiscriminately killing marine life. Coral reefs that have been chronically blasted turn into large, shifting rubble fields that in many cases don’t recover naturally, and corals are so important! I’d probably pick reef-building corals as favorite animals (there are hundreds of different coral species) because these small, sedentary, colonial animals have an enormous impact by teaming up with photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) to build coral reefs, which in turn support thousands or even millions of amazing sea creatures.

What methods have you found to rehabilitate coral reefs?
I focused on relatively low-cost, low-tech, and locally-available reef rehabilitation techniques, in Komodo National Park (KNP). First, I pilot-tested three methods to stabilize rubble and recreate a structural foundation for new coral settlement and growth. However, most plots broke apart or were buried by the shifting rubble after 2-3 years. To address these problems, larger-scale rock piles were installed. As a result, some sites have transformed from rubble fields to vibrant mini-reefs, but not others. Therefore, the main conclusions I’ve drawn from this work is the importance of preventing the damage in the first place through effective management, which is why I’m focusing more on this challenge with my job at WWF.

That is a great point! We should protect things like coral reefs in the first place so they don’t end up even needing to be fixed! What are some ways you suggest for all people to be more preventative with our marine environment?
The single most important thing is to be committed to informed action. After that, it depends on how much time and energy you have! We need major changes to happen at all scales to help protect the ocean, from not buying unsustainable seafood, to reducing carbon emissions/energy consumption, to urging better political decisions. Here’s a list of ten ideas: http://www.conservationmagazine.org/articles/v8n3/10-solutions-to-save-the-ocean/
And there are many more out there too.

What else does your job entail as the Senior Marine Conservation Biologist for WWF? Why do you love your job working with the ocean?
I’m part of WWF’s Conservation Science Program, and lead the marine science team. We focus on science-based conservation planning and implementation for WWF’s marine priority places, supported by cutting-edge research. A typical day usually involves a flood of email, meetings with staff about projects, the science program “lab meeting”, etc. but I also schedule large blocks of time for focused work, e.g. on writing or reviewing paper manuscripts or proposals. I also try to prevent my diving and underwater research skills from getting rusty by working in the field again every few years.

Although I enjoy studying corals, my most amazing ocean experiences were with “charismatic megafauna”: 1) being on a scuba dive in Komodo with huge, majestic manta rays swirling around me as they fed on a rich planktonic soup, and 2) snorkeling in the Galapagos with a sea lion who was clearly playing around with me too as we dove and swam around each other. I’ll also never forget my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be an “Aquanaut” studying stomatopod crustaceans from the Aquarius habitat.

What is WWF?
WWF is one of the world’s largest conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs). To paraphrase our website (http://www.worldwildlife.org), WWF's mission is the conservation of nature. Using the best available scientific knowledge and advancing that knowledge, we work to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems by 1) protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species, 2) promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources, and 3) promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution. We are committed to reversing the degradation of our planet's natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature.

WWF has been working in marine environments for decades, both on-the-ground in our priority places (such as helping establish and manage Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), tag sea turtles, or trial bycatch reduction strategies) and in the policy arena (such as advocating for better fisheries management and climate regulations).

You are doing so many great things to take care of the ocean. What are your suggestions for people who want to follow in your footsteps?
Try to get good field/conservation experience as well as a solid academic background. My job primarily relies on general skills like critical thinking, good writing, working well with people, being organized and managing/prioritizing a very diverse workload.

And, particular advice if you’d like to have a family along with a successful career one day (I have 2 young daughters), find a partner who will “walk the walk” in terms of supporting your career and being an equal partner with the housework and parenting—I literally would not be where I am today if not for my husband putting my career first for a few years (including being the stay-at-home parent the first year), taking responsibility for whole areas of housework (dishes and laundry are his…), and solo-parenting when I have work trips.

Biography:
Helen Fox is the Marine Conservation Biologist and a Senior Program Officer for the Conservation Science Program of World Wildlife Fund-US, where she provides technical and scientific support to the marine places where WWF works. She is also working on seascape planning and conducting interdisciplinary research with the WWF marine science team. Helen joined WWF-US in 2004, after her D.H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology exploring how connectivity could influence marine reserve design. She received her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley in 2002, investigating coral recovery and rehabilitation options from blast fishing in Indonesia. She has logged nearly 1000 research dives, and once lived underwater for 10 days at the National Underwater Research Center Aquarius facility.

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