Assessing the impact of fishing in shallow rocky reefs: A multivariate approach to ecosystem management

•A tool to assess the impact of fishing in shallow rocky reef is proposed.•Biological parameters and fishing activities were modeled in new variables.•Punctual data of fishing pressure and conservation status were mapped using GIS.•We found that fishing pressure and conservation status models were spatially related.

In this paper we develop a tool to assess the impact of fishing on ecosystem functioning in shallow rocky reefs. The relationships between biological parameters (fishes, sea urchins, seaweeds), and fishing activities (fish traps, boats, land-based fishing, spearfishing) were tested in La Palma island (Canary Islands). Data from fishing activities and biological parameters were analyzed using principal component analyses. We produced two models using the first component of these analyses. This component was interpreted as a new variable that described the fishing pressure and the conservation status at each studied site. Subsequently the scores on the first axis were mapped using universal kriging methods and the models obtained were extrapolated across the whole island to display the expected fishing pressure and conservation status more widely. The fishing pressure and conservation status models were spatially related; zones where fishing pressure was high coincided with zones in the unhealthiest ecological state.