Elasmobranchs are heavily impacted by fishing, with catch statistics grossly underestimated due to missing data from small-scale fisheries. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are proposed as a tool to protect elasmobranchs. This study assesses elasmobranchs caught in 1,256 fishing operations using fixed nets in partially protected areas (PPAs) within MPAs and unprotected areas (UPAs) at 11 Mediterranean locations. Twenty-four elasmobranch species were recorded, over one-third being IUCN threatened. Catches per unit of effort of threatened and data-deficient species were higher in PPAs than UPAs, with more immature individuals caught in PPAs. Despite the potential of PPAs for elasmobranch conservation, poor small-scale fisheries management within MPAs hinders their effectiveness.

Manfredi Di Lorenzo, Antonio Calò, Antonio Di Franco, Giacomo Milisenda, Giorgio Aglieri, Carlo Cattano, Marco Milazzo, Paolo Guidetti