Marine protected areas (MPAs) reduce fishing pressure and habitat damage, providing welfare benefits to marine wildlife through reduced injury, stress, and mortality from human activities.
Effective MPAs reduce the welfare costs of fishing, diving, boat traffic, and habitat disturbance for marine wildlife. The distinction between nominally protected and genuinely managed areas is critical - protection without enforcement delivers little welfare benefit. Supporting strong enforcement funding and expanding highly protected designations are the most effective contributions to marine wildlife welfare through the MPA framework.