亚速尔群岛海洋保护区成效不足

The Azores islands, an autonomous region of Portugal, are a volcanic archipelago in deep waters, located above large seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean (1). The islands are considered a biodiversity hotspot of endemic corals; hydrothermal vent ecosystems; and many spe- cies of fishes, whales, dolphins, sharks, and rays (2). Beginning on 1 January, the Azores government increased its marine protected areas (MPAs) by 30% in an effort to meet the European Union conservation target ahead of schedule (3). However, the newly established MPAs will not protect the Azores’ fisheries or vulnerable coastal ecosystems. Most of the Azores’ MPAs are in deep waters, and none ade- quately protects shallow coastal ecosystems, where most fishing biomass is concentrated (4, 5). …