Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An ecopath model for fisheries management in the Mogador marine protected area (Moroccan, Atlantic)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Community Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The high exploitation of marine fisheries resources for their economic value along with climate change in recent decades is threatening the regeneration of these resources. Available data on the state of fish stocks and the trophic organization and functioning of these aquatic environments are currently in insufficient. Considering this situation, we aim in this study to improve the knowledge and information available on the functioning of Mogador marine protected area (MPA), one of the marine ecosystems in the Moroccan Atlantic coasts which was established to support the conservation of the local fisheries. An Ecopath model is applied for this Mogador MPA which is represented by 27 functional groups including 18 fishes, which are grouped based on many criteria mainly their size and commercial importance in the fisheries of the study region. A series of indicator for the food web are identified through model statistics and web analysis. The results obtained show relatively high ecotrophic efficiency with a transfer efficiency close to10%, indicating a good degree of stability. Analysis of mixed trophic impact shows significant top-down control of the food web in this system. This study highlights the potential benefits of using an ecotrophic model to assess the effects of fishing on stocks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Belhabib, D., Mendy, A., Subah, Y., et al. (2015). Fisheries catch under-reporting in The Gambia, Liberia and Namibia and the three large marine ecosystems which they represent. Environment and Behaviour, 17, 157–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, V. (1995). Ecosystem maturity-towards quantification. Ecological Modelling, 77, 3–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, V., & Walters, C. (2004). Ecopath with Ecosim: Methods, capabilities and limitations. Ecological Modelling, 172, 109–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, V., Walters, C. J., & Pauly, D. (2005). Ecopath with Ecosim: A user’s guide: fisheries centre. University of British Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coll, M., Akoglu, E., Arreguin-Sanchez, F., Fulton, A., Gascuel, D., Heymans, J. J., Libralato, S., Mackinson, S., Palomera, I., Piroddi, C., Shannon, L. J., Steenbeek, J., Villasante, S., & Christensen, V. (2015). Modellingdynamicecosystem: venturing beyond boundaries with the Ecopath approach. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 25, 413–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colleter, M., et al. (2013). An introduction to the EcoTroph R package: analyzing aquatic ecosystem trophic networks. The R Journal, 5, 98–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colleter, M., Gascuel, D., Albouy, C., Francour, P., Tito de Maorais, L., Valls, A., & Le L’och, F. (2014). Fishing inside or outside? A case studies analysis of potential spillover effect from marine protected areas, using food web models. Journal of Marine Systems, 139, 383–395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colleter, M., Valls, A., Guitton, J., Gascuel, D., Pauly, D., & Christensen, V. (2015). Global overview of the applications of the Ecopath with Ecosim modeling approach using the EcoBase models repository. Ecological Modelling, 302, 42–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Département de la pêche Maritime (DPM)/Ministère de l’Agriculture, de la pêche Maritime, Royaume du Maroc. (2019). Rapport D’activité.

  • Essekhyr, H., Khalil, K., Damsiri, Z., Derhy, G., & Elkalay, K. (2019). Trophic interactions in the coastal ecosystem of Morocco: An Ecopath approach. Community Ecology, 20(2), 161–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (2011). Fisheries management 4. Marine protected areas and fisheries. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries., 4(4), 198.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (2020). Report of the Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish of Northwest Africa Casablanca, Morocco, 8–13 July 2019. Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF). FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report No. 1309/FAO. Rome.

  • Finn, J. T. (1976). Measures of ecosystem structure and function derived from analysis of flows. Theoretical Biology, 56, 363–380.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4, 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • http://ecopath.org/downloads/

  • http://www.fishbase.org/Country/CountryChecklist.php?showAll=yes&c_code=504&vhabitat=all2&cpresence=present

  • https://www.fishbase.se/trophiceco/trophicanalysis.php?ve_code=8&tag=1&ht=&ft=

  • Lassalle, G., Lobry, J., Le Loc’h, F., Bustamante, P., Certain, G., Delmas, D., Dupuy, C., Hily, C., Labry, C., Le Pape, O., & Marquis, E. (2011). Lower trophic levels and detrital biomass control the Bay of Biscay continental shelf food web: Implications for ecosystem management. Progress in Oceanography, 91, 561–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Libralato, S., Christensen, V., & Pauly, D. (2006). A method for identifying keystone species in food web models. Ecological Modelling, 195, 153–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Odum, E. P. (1969). The strategy of ecosystem development. Science Journal, 164(3877), 262–270.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olmo Gilabert, R., Navia, A. F., La Gruz-Agüero, De., Molinero, J. C., Sommer, U., & Scotti, M. (2019). Body size and mobility explain species centralities in the gulf of California food web. Community Ecology, 20(2), 149–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oumarous, M., Lakhnigue, A., Ben, M. A., Houssa, N., Charouki, N., Malouli, M., & Bekkali, M. (2016). Artisanal fishery of small pelagic: Diagnosis and prospects Case of Moroccan Atlantic center. International Journal of Advanced Research, 4(7), 1372–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly, D., Christensen, V., & Walters, C. (2000). Ecopath, Ecosim, and Ecospace as tools for evaluating ecosystem impact of fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 57, 697–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Power, E., Tilman, D., Estes, A., Menge, B., Bond, W., Scott, Mills L., Daily, G., Castilla, J. C., Lubchenco, J., & Paine, R. T. (1996). Challenges in the quest for keystones. Bioscience Journal, 46(8), 609–620.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sommer, U., Charalampous, E., Sctotti, M., & Moustaka-Gouni, M. (2018). Big fish eat small fish: implications for food chain length? Community Ecology, 19(2), 107–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanford, R., Lunn, K., & Guénette, S. (2001). A preliminary ecosystem model for the Atlantic coast of morocco in the mid-1980s. Part III: Northeast Atlantic, p. 314.

  • Thiaw, M., Gascuel, D., Sadio, O., Ndour, I., Diadhiou, H. D., Kantoussan, J., Faye, S., Thiam, M., Meissa, B., & Brehmer, P. (2021). Efficiency of two contrasted marine protected areas (MPA) in West Africa over a decade of fishing closure. Ocean and Coastal Management, 210, 105655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulanowicz, R. E. (1986). Growth and development: Ecosystems phenomenology (p. 203). Springer-Verlag.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ulanowicz, R. E., & Puccia, C. J. (1990). Mixed trophic. Impacts in ecosystem. Coenoses, 5(1), 7–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ullah, M. H., Rashed-Un-Nabi, M., & Al-Mamun, M. A. (2012). Trophic model of the coastal ecosystem of the Bay of Bengal using mass balance Ecopath model. Ecological Modelling, 225, 82–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valls, A., Coll, M., & Christensen, V. (2015). Keystone species: toward an operational concept for marine biodiversity conservation. Ecological Monographs, 85(1), 29–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Applied Sciences for the Environment and Sustainable Development, School of Technology Essaouira, Cadi Ayyad University, Essaouira Al Jadida, Route d’Agadir, BP 383, Essaouira, Morocco

    Zainab Damsiri, Karima Khalil, Derhy Ghoufrane, Hanane Rhomad, Belaid Bougadir & Khalid Elkalay

  2. Hampton University, Hampton, USA

    Tunde Adebola

  3. EST Casablanca, Université Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco

    Abderrafiaa Elkalay

Authors
  1. Zainab Damsiri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karima Khalil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Derhy Ghoufrane
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hanane Rhomad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Tunde Adebola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Abderrafiaa Elkalay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Belaid Bougadir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Khalid Elkalay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Khalid Elkalay.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 3.

Table 3 Final food matrix for fish groups. When modified, the original value is italicized on the second row of a cell
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Damsiri, Z., Khalil, K., Ghoufrane, D. et al. An ecopath model for fisheries management in the Mogador marine protected area (Moroccan, Atlantic). COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 23, 13–26 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-021-00069-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-021-00069-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation