Technical information sheet 4: The benefits of no-take areas

Abstract

Marine plants and animals at various stages of their life may swim or drift throughout the water column. Sand, gravel and mud between reefs provide homes for complex biological communities and feeding grounds or corridors for species moving between inshore nursery areas and offshore reefs. Many marine species migrate and use different habitats at different stages in their life cycle. Some locations act as ‘source’ areas for the production of eggs and larvae of commercial and recreational species, which may then be carried to settle in adjacent areas.