CalOceans News
Showing all articles with tag: marine reserves.
A Happy New Year for the Ocean!
December 31st, 2011Tomorrow, Southern California will celebrate the grand opening of a series of underwater parks, or “marine protected areas,” that includes wildlife hot spots such as the La Jolla kelp forest, Laguna tidepools, and Catalina Island's coral gardens. These parks will join a growing system that currently dots the shore from Santa Barbara to Mendocino, and will soon stretch the length of California’s coast.
California will be the first state in the nation to develop a science-based statewide network of marine protected areas, protecting productive reefs, kelp forests and tide pools. The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), enacted in 1999 with bipartisan support, called for this network of protections to improve the health of California’s ocean wildlife and habitats.
“Our nation has been protecting treasured areas on land for 150 years, and now California is doing the same for our ocean, through the Marine Life Protection Act,” said Karen Garrison, Oceans Program Co-Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “From Point Reyes to Big Sur to La Jolla, the state is creating Yosemites of the sea so future generations can experience their grandeur.”
“After decades of treating the ocean as inexhaustible, California has turned the tide towards restoring its legacy of abundant sea life,” said Kaitilin Gaffney, Pacific Program Director of Ocean Conservancy. “California’s new protected areas are a smart investment in a healthier ocean and a more sustainable coastal economy.”
The marine protected areas going into effect January 1 were designed by local citizens, including fishermen, surfers, conservationists and business leaders, to protect productive ocean areas while leaving about 90% of the coast open for fishing (see a map of fishing areas left open). Many of the are located alongside public beaches and state parks, creating great opportunities for education, research, and recreation.
California’s coast and ocean generate $22 billion in revenue and drive over 350,000 jobs each year, and more than 90 percent of visitors comes to walk the beach, dive, surf, swim, or kayak, making the new ocean parks a smart investment in the region's environmental and economic health.
Plenty of fish in the sea?
May 27th, 2011In a recent article, Lance Morgan, Vice President for Science at Marine Conservation Institute, cited a number of scientific studies, and a re-envisioned halibut derby to highlight the stark reality of overfishing off California's coast.
As fishing technology improves along with demand for fresh seafood, new conservation measures are required to keep pace. Since 1990, commercial fishing revenues have dropped by half and the number of fishing boats calling at California ports is down by nearly three quarters. Fish are getting smaller as well: scientists have documented a 45% decline in size along the west coast over the past 21 years.
At Marina Del Rey, after contestants hooked just seven halibut during the two-day derby in 2009, Marina del Rey Anglers decided to implement conservation measures to save the fish.
President Bob Kissling said, "Every indication is we're not catching them in the quantity we used to. And we don't want to be the cause of their demise."
Sustainable fishing, including sportfishing measures adopted by groups like Marina del Rey Anglers, is part of the answer. Another key is protecting fish feeding and breeding grounds with a system of underwater parks, as California is doing through the Marine Life Protection Act.
Studies show that marine reserves produce more and bigger plants and animals, which tend to spill out into surrounding waters.
"Reserves allow a win–win situation — better conservation and higher profitability for fishing," says Christopher Costello, a resource economist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
World Heritage Biosphere Reserve from Gulf Program on Vimeo.
Fisheries benefits convert marine reserve skeptics
March 21st, 2011Supporters of smart ocean conservation have long known that marine reserves and protected areas deliver a multitude of benefits – ecologically and economically. Yet opponents of the Marine Life Protection Act continue to portray the issue as Us versus Them, where those in the fishing industry stand to either win or lose based on the level of protections put into place. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: simply not true.
Case in point: the marine reserves around overfished coral reefs in Kenya, where Dr. Tim McClanahan, a marine biologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, has been tracking the increasing number of fish local fishermen are catching along the border of the reserve. Contrary to expectations, the incomes of the nearby fishermen doubled within a year of the introduction of these reserves. Previously vocal opponents of marine reserves, the fishermen have become vocal supporters of additional reserves.
You can read and hear about it here.
We’ve seen similar success at other reserves around the world, including close to home at the Channel Islands. We at CalOceans love to hear – and share – these success stories, which encourage us to continue in our efforts to secure California’s long-term health through the MLPA.
More evidence that marine reserves work
October 6th, 2010Over the past decade or so we’ve seen an immense body of science come out supporting the idea that discrete areas, set off limits to extractive use, will benefit sea life. This conclusions is as near to iron-clad scientific fact as you can get, at least in terms of non-migratory species like sheepshead. There is still some debate, however, over how well marine protected areas help migratory species.
Which brings us to today’s post. A fascinating study on the effects of World War II (what could be classified, in this context, as a “temporary, accidental fishing closure”) on the cod, haddock and whiting of the North Sea. Reports reveal that fishing activity in the area dropped from 300,000 hours a year in 1938 to practically zero after the war started in 1939.
These three species, which had been in decline leading up to the war, began to rebound immediately. At the cessation of hostilities, when fishing began again, their decline continued. Here’s a great Economist article summarizing the findings.
Here in California, we have a wealth of both migratory and non-migratory sea life, and it’s great to see that the Marine Life Protection Act will benefit them all.
Learn More about MPAs on the North Coast - Open Houses Coming Soon
June 24th, 2010Open houses have been scheduled in Northern California for the public to review and provide input on four draft proposals developed through the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. The open houses will focus on draft MPA proposals for the North Coast Study Region, which covers state waters from the California/Oregon border to Alder Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino County.
Members of the public are invited to attend at any time during the day and evening sessions – in five locations throughout the study region – to visit informational stations and offer input.
Members of the MLPA North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group developed the draft MPA proposals during Round 2 of a three-round planning process. They will be on hand to answer questions and discuss how these ideas will help meet the goals of improved marine life, habitats and overall ecosystem health. MLPA Initiative staff, California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) staff, California State Parks staff and members of the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task
Force will also be available.
The five open houses are scheduled for:
Fort Bragg - Tuesday, July 6 (5:00-7:30 PM)
Briceland - Wednesday, July 7, (8:00-10:00 a.m.)
Eureka - Wednesday, July 7 (5:00-7:30 p.m.)
Orick - Thursday, July 8, 2010 (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)
Crescent City - Thursday, July 8, 2010 (5:00-7:30 p.m.)
If you cannot attend, you are welcome to view the proposals online and offer your comments.
Kenyan Marine Reserves Put Money in Fishermen’s Pockets
June 17th, 2010Yet another scientific study has been published showing the benefits of marine protected areas – both for fish and for fishers. The study, published in the journal Conservation Biology, showed that fishermen pulled more and bigger fish from waters near MPAs.
"Resistance to closures and to gear restrictions from fishermen and the fishing industry is based largely on the perception that these options are a threat to profits," said Tim McClanahan, a senior conservationist at the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society , which conducted the study. "These findings challenge those perceptions."
Policymakers—seeing how Kenya's marine protected areas are breathing life into depleted fisheries—are considering adopting similar policies in countries neighboring Kenya.
This study joins the list now longer than a full-grown giant sea bass showing that carefully selected marine protected zones can pay major dividends– strengthening our resolve as we forge ahead with California’s great experiment in community-driven ocean protection, the Marine Life Protection Act.
Scientists call for "National Parks at Sea"
June 8th, 2010Today is World Oceans Day, a day we set aside to celebrate and give thanks to our life-giving oceans for all they provide for us. They feed us, transport us, and create the air we breathe. This year, the world’s marine scientists are celebrating World Oceans Day by making a unified call for large-scale “National Parks at Sea.”
Over 245 ocean scientists representing 35 countries have come out today saying we need a worldwide MPA network – a global solution to the problem of declining ocean health around the globe. And while most MPAs around the world are small and targeted, like those selected for California’s network of underwater parks, the scientists claim we need to think bigger – as in, Yosemite big.
Large marine reserves can counter the effects of overfishing by offering a refuge for sea life to breed and spawn, providing for healthier fisheries as the fish swim into surrounding areas, and thus ensuring more resilient coastal economies.
Three cheers for the brave marine scientists, and a Happy World Oceans Day from CalOceans!
Study: Marine reserves boost lobster fisheries
March 25th, 2010A team of marine scientists released a study last week showing that the spillover of lobsters from marine reserves more than compensates for lost fishing grounds. During the 10 year study period, the net gain to fishermen was about 10% annually.
The study, published this month in the magazine Marine Ecology Progress Series, was conducted by researchers of the Balearics Oceanographic Centre of the Spanish Oceanography Institute with collaboration from scientists at the universities of Washington and Michigan.
This is further evidence that science-based marine protected areas are good for the ocean as well as our economy. By investing in our ocean resources through the use of protected areas, we are ensuring the long-term viability of our commercial fishing industries as well.
Good for the economy and environment
February 23rd, 2010Several new studies released at this week's American Association for the Advancement of Sciences conference have found that well-designed networks of marine reserves can provide both economic and environmental benefits.
Scientists from UC Santa Barbara, Scripps Institute and Stanford University were quoted over the weekend:
Steven Gaines, Dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara said in Science Daily, "There is plenty of new evidence to show that if reserves are designed well, they can benefit both fish and fishermen,"
UC Santa Barbara’s Andrew Rassweiler said in Science News that a new southern California marine reserve network could boost fishing industry profits: “People fishing can make more money with smaller impacts on the species being fished.”
Science Magazine cited the Channel Islands and Great Barrier Reef marine reserve networks to show that protecting small areas can produce big returns. A five-year study in the Channel Island found rockfish numbers up by 50%, and their size up by 80%. And predictions of economic losses from the Great Barrier Reef protections have proven completely unfounded--the number of recreational fishing licenses has gone up since the reserves there were created.
Several of the studies emphasized the importance of community engagement in creating an effective marine reserve network. California’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) is being implemented through a participatory public process. Stanford scientist Stephen Palumbi said in the San Diego Union Tribune that the MLPA is also rooted in sound science: “There are probably 120 to 150 studies of how reserves function within their borders, and even small reserves tend to give positive results.”
Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Ed Parnell, who has proposed protections for the reef and kelp beds at south La Jolla, said: “We know what the benefit will be for the species in the reserves. They will increase in density, and they will increase in size.”
This fact sheet summarizes the new marine reserves research.
Scripps scientists: Marine reserves produce more and bigger fish
February 18th, 2010This weekend, the country’s foremost ocean experts will meet in San Diego to review the latest science on marine reserves. Ocean management is one of the key topics at this year’s American Association for the Advancement of
Sciences conference, and is also the theme of February’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences issue.
California has many long-established marine reserves, and is working now to create a science-based network through the Marine Life Protection Act.
Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography have studied reserves at La Jolla and in the Channel Islands, noting increases in the size and numbers of sheephead, abalone, and kelp bass.
The expanded protections proposed through the MLPA for key areas like south La Jolla, Swamis Reef, Point Dume, and Catalina would build on that success, helping to boost southern California’s overall ocean health.
In today’s San Diego Union Tribune, Stanford’s Steve Palumbi said California’s marine reserves will benefit anglers by boosting the size and abundance of fish in nearby open areas.
Fisheries scientist Ray Hilborn said increased abundance inside protected areas is good for tourism and for researchers.
Scripps’ Ed Parnell said that, while the design process is complex, we know that Caifornia’s new reserves will produce increases in the density and size of fish and invertebrates.
Do Marine Reserves Work? A Big “YES!” From the Philippines
February 9th, 2010Last week CNN aired a fascinating segment on Apo Island, a tiny fishing-based community in the South Pacific islands of the Philippines. The CNN website has a page dedicated to the story, with a slideshow of striking images of the island and its people.
Years of overfishing and habitat destruction (the island is adjacent to an ecologically important coral reef, which was severely damaged) had left the waters around Apo Isand in terrible shape. Fishermen were being forced further and further out to sea in order to bring home fish, and the local economy was following the sea life’s downward spiral.
Scientists at neighboring Silliman University in Dumaguete spearheaded an effort to reverse the island's fortunes by setting up a marine reserve around the reef. Over the years, the reef and sea life recovered, and the spillover into the unprotected waters boosted fishing returns. The local economy has been steadily improving as well.
This is further evidence that we need to stay the course in California, and implement a network of science-based marine protected areas. It is the right thing to do for Californians, our ocean and the sea life that lives there.
A legacy of underwater parks
January 8th, 2010Last week Good Times Santa Cruz profiled several UC Santa Cruz professors, including Peter Raimondi, professor and chair of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Professor Raimondi serves on the Scientific Advisory Team that helps guide implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act, informing decisions about what areas should be protected to balance conservation with continued fishing access. Since the Central Coast network of marine protected areas was established in 2007, he has also been monitoring the ocean sanctuaries to see how well they work.
He says in the article: “The MLPA project is really exciting for me not only because it has a scientific component but because it is going to leave a legacy. A legacy of these national parks in the sea.”
In November, Raimondi and his fellow biologists published a study in the scientific journal PLoS ONE which showed that marine reserves help boost fish populations outside of their boundaries, improving fishing conditions in nearby open areas.
Investment banks for fish
November 12th, 2009A new study by UC Santa Cruz biologists, published in the scientific journal PLos ONE, shows that marine reserves can restock waters outside of their boundaries, improving fishing conditions in nearby open areas.
The biologists monitored 58 sites in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, on the
northern shore of the Gulf of California.
They found that baby fish born in marine reserves drifted along the coast, where they could be caught by local anglers.
Study co-author Richard Cudney-Bueno describes marine reserves as investment banks for fish. The more you invest in protecting big fertile fish (who produce exponentially more young--see graphic), the more interest you can collect as the babies disperse in ocean currents.
He emphasized that the location of reserves is critical--you have to protect important feeding and breeding grounds in order to maximize returns.
Luckily, southern California's new marine protected area plan, unanimously approved by the governor-appointed Blue Ribbon Task Force on November 10, would create ocean sanctuaries where big fertile fish, and other plants and animals, can grow and multiply.
Marine protected areas will "re-seed" south coast waters
August 31st, 2009Laguna resident Cindy Love comes from a fishing family. But she's seen some troubling changes to local fisheries in the decade since she dropped her first lobster net off San Clemente pier. In recent years, her nets have been coming home empty, and she's not the only one. The 2007-08 lobster catch was down by 25% from the previous season.
In order to turn things around, and restore the health and abundance to south coast waters, Cindy supports the creation of a strong network of marine reserves.
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