Last updated 10/15/24.
California’s Network of 124 MPAs was completed in 2012 after a multi-year design and planning process that occurred regionally across the state. The MPA Monitoring Action Plan led to coordinated statewide long-term monitoring consortiums for each core habitat (e.g., kelp forests, sandy beaches, intertidal, mid-depth rock reef).
From the Network’s first Decadal Management Review, identifying robust and durable monitoring approaches for mid-depth rocky reef habitats (30 - 100 m) became a key management recommendation. Monitoring California’s extensive mid-depth habitats is one of the greatest challenges technologically, logistically, and economically.
Since 2004, the State’s monitoring program has relied heavily on remotely operated vehicle (ROV) strip transect methods and has established a substantial time-series across the statewide MPA Network. However, the effectiveness of these monitoring efforts has been challenging to evaluate.
To address these challenges, a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) developed key findings and recommendations for collecting and analyzing critical biological and ecological data for California’s mid-depth rocky reef habitats.