Abecasis, D., Afonso, P., O'Dor, R.K., Erzini, K. (2013). Small MPAs do not protect cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis). Fisheries Research 147: 196-201.

Marine reserves have been widely implemented as tools for biodiversity conservation and fisheriesmanagement, amongst other goals. A large number of empirical studies have focused on their effectson reef fish populations. Yet, few studies have looked at their effectiveness on semelparous speciessuch as cephalopods, in spite of their commercial importance in many coastal regions across the globe.In this study we combine behavioural (biotelemetry) and demographic (experimental fishing) data tounderstand the effects of the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park (LSMP) on local populations of cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. We used a beyond-BACI design to analyze the possible effect of the implementation of a no-take area on the abundance and biomass of this species and acoustic telemetry data to assess its sitefidelity and movements within the study area. Results indicate that there was no detectable effect ofthe implementation of the no-take area on the abundance or biomass of cuttlefish. We found evidencethat acoustically tagged adult cuttlefish leave the reserve a few days or weeks after tagging. The fact thatcuttlefish have low site fidelity inside the reserve and large movements across and beyond the studyarea explains why there is no increase in the population inside the MPA. These results suggest that smallcoastal marine reserves such as the LSMP are not effective in providing long term protection to cuttlefishpopulations and, probably, those of other short-lived, highly mobile cephalopods.