In 2012, California finalized a plan for its system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) — setting aside a network of sites where consumptive activities like fishing are limited or prohibited altogether to protect oceanic resources for future generations. To understand whether these MPAs are effectively protecting the ocean, they must be monitored.
This project continues field sampling research funded by the Ocean Protection Council and California Sea Grant and conducted from 2021-2022, focused on rocky intertidal habitats. The sites include several dozen MPAs from all three MPA regions in California, each paired with a comparable reference site. The results will help not only assess MPA performance but also answer other key questions about how California will fare as the climate changes by contributing to a comprehensive environmental sentinel program on the state’s coast.
Peter Raimondi