Commercial Fishing - Urchin Fishing Grounds Spatial Change Map 2008-2012

These data depict the spatial change in the stated relative value of commercial fishing grounds. The data were created by calculating the difference between data collected in the summer and fall of 2008 (pre MPAs) and in the summer of 2013 (post MPAs). Specifically, the data were produced by subtracting the post MPA relative value surface data from the pre MPA relative value surface data (x = post MPA - pre MPA). It is important to emphasize that only the relative value surfaces (also known as a 'heat map') were used in this analysis. In other words, ex-vessel revenue was not applied to the 'heat map' value surfaces, however ex-vessel revenue was used to weight the aggregated individual fishing grounds. This was done to reduce the number of variables which would influence analysis results. Thus, results are simply an examination of changes in the stated values/importance of fishing areas to a fishery and not spatial changes in revenue across the two datasets. The data ranges from negative to positive values on a relative scale. In this dataset the areas with positive values are areas where the post-MPA fishing relative values are greater than the pre-MPA relative values, thus an increase in relative importance and value between the 2008 survey to the 2013 survey. This dataset represents the spatial change in relative value for urchin—dive commercial fishing grounds for the South Coast Region.