Marine protected areas reduce fishing pressure and habitat destruction that cause injury and death to marine animals, making them an important tool for ocean welfare.
Marine protected areas benefit animal welfare both directly and indirectly. Directly, they reduce the incidence of injury and death from fishing gear entanglement, bycatch, and habitat destruction within their boundaries. Indirectly, recovering ecosystems within MPAs support animal populations with better access to food, reduced predation pressure from human harvesting, and more complex, supportive habitats. The welfare and conservation cases for expanding MPA coverage are mutually reinforcing.