title: Positive Catch & Economic Benefits of Periodic Octopus Fishery Closures: Do Effective, Narrowly Targeted Actions 'Catalyze' Broader Management?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Eight years of octopus fishery records from southwest Madagascar reveal significant positive impacts from 36 periodic closures on: (a) fishery catches and (b) village fishery income, such that (c) economic benefits from increased landings outweigh costs of foregone catch. Closures covered ~20% of a village's fished area and lasted 2-7 months.
  Octopus landings and catch per unit effort (CPUE) significantly increased in the 30 days following a closure's reopening, relative to the 30 days before a closure (landings: +718%, p<0.0001; CPUE: +87%, p<0.0001; n = 36). Open-access control sites showed no before/after change when they occurred independently of other management ("no ban", n = 17/36). On the other hand, open-access control sites showed modest catch increases when they extended a 6-week seasonal fishery shutdown ("ban", n = 19/36). The seasonal fishery shutdown affects the entire region, so confound all potential control sites.
  In villages implementing a closure, octopus fishery income doubled in the 30 days after a closure, relative to 30 days before (+132%, p<0.001, n = 28). Control villages not implementing a closure showed no increase in income after "no ban" closures and modest increases after "ban" closures. Villages did not show a significant decline in income during closure events.
  Landings in closure sites generated more revenue than simulated landings assuming continued open-access fishing at that site (27/36 show positive net earnings; mean +$305/closure; mean +57.7% monthly). Benefits accrued faster than local fishers' time preferences during 17-27 of the 36 closures. High reported rates of illegal fishing during closures correlated with poor economic performance.
  We discuss the implications of our findings for broader co-management arrangements, particularly for catalyzing more comprehensive management.
authors.affiliation: Blue Ventures Conservation, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom; Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i Mānoa, 2853 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson Hall 309, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, United States of America.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Blue Ventures Conservation, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai'i Mānoa, 1910 East West Road, Sherman 101, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kirsten L L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Oleson
authors.affiliation: Blue Ventures Conservation, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hajanaina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ratsimbazafy
authors.affiliation: Blue Ventures Conservation, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raberinary
authors.affiliation: Blue Ventures Conservation, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benbow
authors.affiliation: Blue Ventures Conservation, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom; Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alasdair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D005398:Fisheries / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D008270:Madagascar; D049831:Octopodiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics