California Marine Protected Areas

Community-based approaches to understanding the outcomes of California Marine Protected Areas

Project partners:

   2000 – 2020

Kenny Jeavons, a sea urchin fishermen who works near San Diego, Calif. Photo credit: Jason Houston

In 1999, California passed the Marine Life Protection Act, leading to the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along the state’s coastline. After finding that they lacked data on the marine areas important to the state’s fisheries, in 2005, California’s state agencies tasked Ecotrust with interviewing California fishermen about their preferred fishing areas and elevating their concerns. This began a decades-long body of work developing tools and collecting data that is informed by coastal fishing communities in California.

Today, we and our project partners continue this work of seeking feedback from fishing communities to understand the impacts of Marine Protected Areas, through the MPA Human Uses Study. Recently, the project team conducted a performance review of established MPAs. A cornerstone of this effort is a series of 31 focus groups with commercial fishers and charter boat captains. Through this work, we gathered critical qualitative and quantitative information that will be shared back with fisheries managers and used to create a baseline for MPA monitoring into the future.

Continuing to build on the foundation of open-source, transparent, and accessible data and information, this community feedback and our corresponding assessments are publicly available at mpahumanuses.com.

A screenshot of mpahumanuses.com

Partners

Project Partners

Cheryl Chen 

Today, we and our project partners continue this work of seeking feedback from fishing communities to understand the outcomes of Marine Protected Areas, through the MPA Human Uses Study.

Operations at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in San Diego, Calif. Photo credit: Jason Houston

Fresh catch coming into the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in San Diego, Calif. Photo credit: Jason Houston

Ecotrust Project Team & Services

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Ecotrust project team
services

We build and deliver mission-aligned projects in partnership.

We contribute tools, analyses, and frameworks that move projects forward.

Impact

28

FOCUS GROUPS

conducted with commercial fishers and charter boat captains in coastal California

85 %

OF PARTICIPANTS

reported that COVID-19 highly or very highly disrupted and changed the way that commercial passenger fishing vessel businesses operate

Resources

website

Website

People & Place: the Human Dimensions of California Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) | Understanding socioeconomic outcomes and community perspectives

report

Report

Establishing a Statewide Baseline and Long-Term MPA Monitoring Program for Commercial and Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Fisheries in the State of California

exec_summary

executive summary

Establishing a Statewide Baseline and Long-Term MPA Monitoring Program for Commercial and Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel Fisheries in the State of California

press

Press release

Release Date: 01-13-2014 | Portland, Ore. – Coastal recreation, from bird watching to beach going, contributes $1.2 billion annually to Bay Area economies, according to a new study released today by the nonprofit Ecotrust and its subsidiary marine consulting business, Point 97. …

press

Press release

Jan 21, 2022 | After three years, Marine Protected Area Monitoring Program research teams have completed seven long-term projects to gain a better understanding of California’s marine protected areas (MPAs). …

press

Press release

Release Date: 12-08-2008 | Ecotrust open-source technology improves ocean planning and collaboration, wins Mellon Award for Innovation

Background

In 1999, California passed the Marine Life Protection Act, leading the nation in a new model for marine ecological management. With this legislation, the state designed and managed a network of Marine Protected Areas throughout the 1,100 miles of coastlines.

While working to understand how to balance human use with ecological stability, California’s state agencies found that they lacked data on the marine areas that held special importance to the state’s fisheries. In 2005, Ecotrust was contracted to assess potential impacts on both commercial and recreational fishing in the event of Marine Protected Areas closures. To bridge the gap between management agencies and fishing communities, our team conducted hundreds of interviews with fishermen up and down the coast—laying a practice for place-based, community-informed, decision-making and tools development that continues to guide our work today.

Timeline

2021
2021

Along with partners, our efforts will be focused on analyzing, summarizing, and disseminating information gathered over the course of 31 focus groups and providing updates at mpahumanuses.com.

2020
2020

With Strategic Earth Consulting, Cal Poly Humboldt, and Cheryl Chen, we begin conducting a 10-year performance review of California’s Marine Protected Areas. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and an historic wildfire season, the team utilized remote meeting technology to conduct focus group meetings with commercial fishers and recreational anglers throughout the state.

2017
2017

Ecotrust developed the California Fisheries Data Explorer, an interactive tool that allows fishermen, fisheries managers, economic advisors, ocean scientists, educators, and interested community members to visualize data from commercial fisheries and commercial passenger fishing vessels across the state.

2014
2014

We released a report conducted as part of the MPA monitoring program showing that coastal recreation contributes $1.2 billion annually to California’s Bay Area.

2011
2011

Final report on regional impacts for North Coast fisheries was released.

2010
2010

Regional impact report for fisheries on California’s South Coast was completed.

2008
2008

Ecotrust and partners published new research showing the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Conservation Letters, a journal for the Society of Conservation Biology.

2008
2008

Ecotrust open-source marine planning and collaboration technology, Open Ocean Map, wins Mellon Award for Innovation.

2008
2008

Regional impact report for North Coast fisheries was delivered.

2006
2006

We delivered the first of four regional impact reports for Central California fisheries—from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County.

2005
2005

Ecotrust was retained by the state to begin collecting, compiling, and analyzing fisheries data.

1999
1999

California passes the Marine Life Protection Act.

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