The key to the conservation of harvested species is the maintenance of reproductive success. Yet for many marine species large, old individuals are targeted despite their disproportionate contribution to reproduction. We hypothesized that a combination of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) and harvest slot limits (maximum and minimum size limits) would result in the conservation of large spawning individuals under heavy harvest. We tested this approach under different harvest intensities with a 2-sex, stage-structured metapopulation model for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus). P. argus is intensively harvested in the Caribbean, and in many localities large, mature individuals no longer exist. No-take MPAs and harvest slot limits combined rebuilt and maintained large mature individuals even under high harvest pressure. The most conservative model (a 30% MPA and harvest slot limit of 75-105 mm) increased spawner abundance by 5.53E12 compared with the fishing status quo at the end of 30 years. Spawning stock abundance also increased by 2.76-9.56E12 individuals at a high harvest intensity over 30 years with MPAs alone. Our results demonstrate the potential of MPAs and harvest slot limits for the conservation of large breeding individuals in some marine and freshwater environments. Decisions on which management strategy best suits a fishery, however, requires balancing what is ecologically desirable with what is economically and socially feasible. Article impact statement: Marine protected areas and harvest slot limits together can conserve large breeding individuals and support population sustainability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

中文翻译：

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通过收获时段限制和禁捕保护区保护产卵种群

保护收获物种的关键是保持繁殖成功。然而，对于许多大型海洋物种来说，尽管它们对繁殖做出了不成比例的贡献，但它们仍是目标。我们假设禁止捕捞海洋保护区 (MPA) 和捕捞槽限制（最大和最小尺寸限制）的组合将导致在大量捕捞下保护大型产卵个体。我们使用加勒比多刺龙虾 (Panulirus argus) 的 2 性别、阶段结构的复合种群模型在不同的收获强度下测试了这种方法。P. argus 在加勒比地区被大量收获，在许多地方，大型成熟个体已不复存在。禁止采伐 MPA 和收获槽限制相结合，即使在高收获压力下也能重建和维持大型成熟个体。与 30 年末的捕捞现状相比，最保守的模型（30% MPA 和 75-105 毫米的收获槽限制）使产卵鱼丰度增加了 5.53E12。在 30 年的高收获强度下，仅海洋保护区的产卵种群丰度也增加了 2.76-9.56E12 个个体。我们的结果证明了海洋保护区和捕捞时段限制在某些海洋和淡水环境中保护大型繁殖个体的潜力。然而，关于哪种管理战略最适合渔业的决定需要在生态上可取的与经济和社会上可行的之间取得平衡。文章影响声明：海洋保护区和收获时段限制一起可以保护大型繁殖个体并支持种群可持续性。本文受版权保护。版权所有。