PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:
This project monitored marine life in nine California marine protected areas from Bodega Head to La Jolla using inexpensive remote underwater video (RUV) systems equipped with stereo video cameras, evaluated how these areas are performing in protecting marine ecosystems and provided guidance to the state on long-term monitoring plans for its marine protected area network.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
The California Legislature passed the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) in 1999, requiring the state to redesign its system of marine protected areas (MPAs) to function as a statewide network in order to protect the abundance, integrity, and diversity of marine life, habitats, and ecosystems. The MLPA requires monitoring of the state’s MPAs to evaluate progress toward achieving the goals of the MLPA, and to facilitate adaptive management of the network of MPAs. We assembled a team of experts in MPA design, monitoring, and evaluation to help the state identify and evaluate changes that have occurred in the deeper portions of California MPAs and to help design plans for the continued monitoring of California MPAs.
In January 2022, our Mid-depth Rock Habitat group provided a lengthy report to California Sea Grant and the California Ocean Protection Council related to monitoring of mid-depth rocky habitats. We were able to show statistically significant differences between MPAs and Reference sites for some common nearshore fishes. Subsequently, the California Fish and Game Commission held a Decadal Management Review of MPA monitoring on March 16, 2023 to evaluate the monitoring activities that have occurred in California. CDFW and OPC are now designing and implementing statewide long-term monitoring plans to reflect current priorities and management needs.