Characterizing movements of Palinurus elephas (Fabr. 1787) as a useful tool in Fully Protected Areas design: the case study of the Sardinian FPAs (central-western Mediterranean)

Fully Protected Areas (FPAs) represent a powerful tool for marine resources management. Among the parameters to consider for their optimal design, the movements of the species to protect are of particular importance. We examined the movement patterns of744 spiny lobsters, Palinurus elephas, tagged during a restocking program carried out in 12 Sardinian FPAs. Once the lobsters were captured, tagged, transported and released in the center of the FPA, the linear distances performed by 80% of the lobsters from the recapture (RC) to the release point (RE), (recapture distance, RC-RE) increased as a function of the point in which they were captured for the first time (release distance, C-RE), until a maximum value of about 13500 m. By a management perspective, these results highlight a behaviour, perhaps attributable to homing, representing an important starting point to take into consideration when planning FPAs. In fact, since release and recapture distances appeared related, in order to preserve a portion of the lobsters within the FPA and to guarantee a spillover of specimens in the surrounding commercial areas, the longer is the release, the bigger would be the FPA.