Marine protected areas provide conservation welfare benefits for marine species by reducing fishing pressure and allowing ecosystem recovery in critical habitats.
Marine protected areas provide conservation welfare through population-level protection that reduces the mortality rates, injury, and stress experienced by marine animals from fishing pressure. Fish in heavily fished areas experience higher bycatch mortality, hook and net injuries, and the physiological stress of frequent capture attempts. Protected area populations are larger, older, and on average experiencing lower acute mortality from human activity. The welfare framework for marine conservation recognizes that protecting habitats and reducing fishing mortality benefits millions of individual animals beyond the ecosystem-level conservation goals typically used to justify MPA establishment. The 30x30 target represents a welfare ambition as well as a biodiversity conservation goal.