Welcome to the September 2020 issue of the California Marine Protected Area
(MPA) Education and Outreach Newsletter!
In this issue, you will find information on the annual Coastal Cleanup Day, updates on MPA related projects, a list of events, and more!
|
|
|
|
Our thoughts are with all Californians affected by the recent devastating wildfires. We send our sympathies to those who have been evacuated or lost their homes, and trust you will lean on this resilient community for help in these trying times.
We are all in this together.
|
|
Every Saturday in September in YOUR Neighborhood
|
This year, pitching in to help clean the coast starts wherever you may live! California Coastal Cleanup Day is happening every Saturday in September. Picking up trash from your neighborhoods, local parks, and streets actually helps protect our coast, since trash travels through storm drains, creeks, and rivers to eventually reach the ocean.
If Saturdays don't work for you, don't let that stop you! You can pick up trash any day, any time. Report your efforts by recording data on the CleanSwell app or by completing this form. (You can also use the form to enter the Most Unusual Item Contest.) All cleanups in September will be included as part of Coastal Cleanup Month.
For safety reasons, there are no large, centrally organized cleanup sites this year. Instead, cleanups will be self-guided and close to home. Practice physical distancing, and strictly follow both local ordinances and this safety document.
|
|
CA Marine Sanctuary Foundation Updates
|
|
CA MPA Social Media Campaign is Live!
|
In June, CMSF launched the California MPA social media campaign.
With a goal of heightening the visibility of California's MPAs on social media platforms to increase awareness, particularly ahead of the 2022 MPA management review, we are putting together packets of curated posts for your use! The packets contain captions, hashtags, photos, and suggestions for localizing the content.
We hope you will join us by posting once a week, using the hashtag #CalifMPAs or #CaliforniaMPAs.
We’ve also compiled an information sheet that contains further details on how to participate, social media best practices, tips and tricks for boosting your reach, growing your followers, and more! You will also find a list of links at the bottom that you may find useful for additional information.
We will be sending out packets of curated content every 2 months, so stay tuned for a new batch at the end of September. We look forward to working with you over the next year to raise awareness of our state MPAs!
If you would like to join our social media mailing list and stay up to date on the MPA Social Media Campaign, please sign up here.
Please feel free to contact katelyn@californiamsf.org with any questions, comments, suggestions for future topics or concerns.
|
|
Update on New Signage for Bait and Tackle Shops,
Ocean Recreation Businesses, Interpretive Centers & Waterfront Areas
|
As part of efforts to inform and engage the recreational fishing community as well as the general public and visitors, CMSF is working with 30 sites to develop new signage for their property.
For anglers, a new multi-topic template was created that offers a list of optional content (vessel pump out for bilge water and sewage, reporting violations, species identification, and mobile applications for use on the water to ascertain fishing regulations while fishing) based upon their local interests and/or topics of concern.
For interpretive audiences, a menu of wildlife viewing tips, local species, seabird protection, tidepooling etiquette and local contact information was created.
Stay tuned in the coming months as the sign designs become finalized!
|
|
Example of an interpretive focused sign for
Friends of the Dunes in Humboldt County.
|
|
Example of a sign geared toward consumptive
users for Shelter Cove in Humboldt County
|
|
Local PowerPoint Presentations in Development
|
CMSF, with extensive input from local partner organizations and agencies all across the state, is creating PowerPoint presentations for each coastal county. These locally specific trainings are being designed for two audiences: 1) fishing and 2) interpretive; a total of 28 scripted presentations will be completed.
The presentation geared toward the recreational fishing community includes information on MPAs, oil spill response, seabird protection, vessel pump-out, species identification and more. The interpretive focused presentation has content on local species, wildlife viewing, volunteer opportunities and marine programs, and a deep dive into recreation in area MPAs.
Stay tuned for the official release!
|
|
ProtectedSeas Webinar- Sept 18th @ 10am
|
ProtectedSeas, in collaboration with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, will be hosting a webinar for interested partners to learn about their new, free online map and mobile app. ProtectedSeas will demonstrate their user-friendly California online maps that provide easy access to local MPA regulations and information in the context of their larger effort to map and assess MPAs worldwide.
Please join us on Friday, September 18th from 10am-11am.
We invite your participation and would love to see you there. Please register at this link and feel free to pass this on to any of your partners you think would be interested in joining.
|
|
California Ocean Protection Council Updates
|
|
The Ocean Protection Council Approves Funding for a Tribal Marine Stewards Network Pilot Program
On June 19th, the Ocean Protection Council approved $1,000,000 in funds to establish a Tribal Marine Stewards Network pilot program. This program will be composed of four partner Tribes: Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Resighini Rancheria, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, and Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. This program will be modeled after other successful programs such as the Coastal Guardian Watchmen program in British Columbia and focus on empowering indigenous peoples to monitor, protect, and restore the cultural and natural resources of their territories. The project will be supported by two nongovernmental organizations: the California Indian Environmental Alliance and Ecotrust.
Communications Plans for California’s MPA Management Program
The Ocean Protection Council is currently evaluating proposals for projects totaling $500,000 to develop communications plans for California’s MPA Management Program.
The selected contractor(s) will work with the California Ocean Protection Council, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and California Fish & Game Commission over the next two years leading up to the management review in December 2022 and through early 2023 to communicate the results of the review, along with the recommendations and next steps for ongoing adaptive management of California’s Marine Protected Areas.
Marine Protected Area Statewide Leadership Team Tribal Representatives
In April 2014, the MPA Statewide Leadership Team (MSLT) was convened as a standing advisory body to ensure communication, collaboration, and coordination among entities that have significant authority, mandates, or interests that relate to the MPA Network. Integral to the success of the MSLT are four Tribal Representative seats and their associated alternate based on geographic region; North – California/Oregon border to Mattole River, North Central – Mattole River to Golden Gate Bridge, Central – Golden Gate Bridge to Point Conception, South – Point Conception to US/Mexico border. Tribal seats serve a three-year term and are chosen through a region-wide nomination process.
For questions specific to Tribal Representatives contact:
North Coast Tribal Representative
North Central Coast Tribal Representatives:
South Coast Tribal Representative:
Note: The primary and alternate seats for the Central Coast Tribal Representatives, as well as the alternate seats for the North Coast and South Coast regions are currently vacant. Applications for these seats are closed and are being reviewed.
For general questions about the MPA Statewide Leadership Team contact:
Tova Handelman
Senior Marine Protected Areas Program Manager
For more information about the MSLT and Tribal representation, please visit the Ocean Protection Council website.
|
|
California Department of Fish & Wildlife
MPA Management Program Updates
|
|
CDFW manages California’s 124 MPAs and 14 special closures as a network using a
|
|
Tidepool Collection
Since early summer, there has been an apparent increase in people visiting intertidal areas at low tide both for recreation and to collect species for food. In some locations, this has been a dramatic change and significant foraging is occurring both outside and within MPAs. The California Department of Fish Wildlife’s Marine Region created new outreach materials regarding intertidal species and the fishing regulations that affect the take of those species. Marine Region staff were enthusiastic to visit rocky seashores subject to increased tidepool foraging, where they interacted with the fishing public and distributed the new outreach materials.
If anyone witnesses potential violations, the Marine Region reminds them to use the CalTIP hotline by calling 1-888-334-CalTIP (888-334-2258) or text “CalTIP” followed by your report to TIP411 (847411).
MPA Outreach and Education
MPA outreach and education efforts have continued online through the pandemic. CDFW’s Marine Region releases monthly Marine Management News blog articles featuring individual MPAs within the statewide network in the Exploring California’s MPAs series. CDFW also supports the MPA Collaborative Network by highlighting one Collaborative each month in MPA News. Check them out!
Marine Species Portal
CDFW has released a new marine species portal! The Portal is intended to be a dynamic, web-based tool that provides information on California marine species. Currently, the Portal contains 30 finfish and invertebrate Enhanced Status Reports (ESRs). The Portal is designed in a way that allows constituents to easily navigate through these ESRs so they can find the information that interests them. Check it out here.
|
|
To remain informed of updates regarding the MPA Management Program sign-up here.
|
|
MPA Collaborative Network Updates
|
|
The MPA Collaborative Network (MPA CN) is thinking of all our members and partners who have
been affected by the devastating wildfires in the Central and North Coast.
Please stay safe and reach out if there is anything we can do to help.
MPA Collaboratives Received Funding
Estuary MPAs Working Group
The MPA CN is in the process of organizing a Network-wide working group focused on estuary MPAs to complement the research and monitoring consortium. The working group would focus on outreach and education and enforcement and compliance topics unique to estuaries. If you are interested in being added to the estuary working group mailing list please email Aubrie ( aubrie@mpacollaborative.org).
|
|
MPA Enforcement and Compliance
The MPA CN is currently working on developing MPA enforcement and compliance materials for each of the 14 Collaborative regions as part of an Ocean Protection Council funded Compliance Initiative taking place from 2019-2022. The initiative includes training allied agency officers, conducting outreach to prosecutors and court officers, and soliciting community input for local projects to increase compliance of MPA regulations.
Los Angeles County is the next county slated for a community MPA compliance forum, the first step in getting public input on local coastal compliance issues. If you live in LA County please register to attend one or both of the scheduled compliance forums to voice your MPA compliance concerns.
|
|
Reef Check California’s North Coast Kelp Forest Restoration project has begun!
|
Reef Check California’s North Coast Kelp Forest Restoration project has begun! Since 2014, bull kelp in northern California, primarily along the Sonoma and Mendocino county coastline, has declined more than 90% due to a combination of extreme warm water events and multiple ecological stressors, including significant increases in purple sea urchin populations, which feed upon the kelp. This has led to a large-scale shift from bull kelp forests to urchin barrens across most of the region. This shift has caused significant losses of kelp forest biodiversity and ecosystem services, resulting in the collapse of the North Coast commercial red urchin fishery ($3 Million ex-vessel value) beginning in 2015 and the closure of the recreational red abalone fishery (estimated at $44 Million non-market value) in 2018.
Earlier this month, Reef Check and partners began to remove purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) from a restoration area in North Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg (Caspar Cove is the next site this effort will target). The goal of this collaborative project is to ultimately catalyze a phase shift from urchin barren to kelp forest on targeted reefs. Furthermore, we are assessing if purple urchin densities can be reduced and maintained over time to allow kelp to grow and serve as a kelp oasis, providing spores (kelp seeds) to surrounding areas. This project will play a vital role in determining how resource managers choose to move forward with kelp restoration strategies state-wide, thus helping to evaluate the costs and benefits of human intervention in a dynamic oceanic environment.
Prior to urchin removal efforts, Reef Check divers collected ecosystem information (such as fish, invertebrate and algae densities) to get a picture of what reefs looked like at the time at which restoration began in areas to be restored and in other areas that will not be touched. Following the removal of urchin, Reef Check divers will conduct quality control surveys to assess the effectiveness of the effort and ecosystem surveys to compare reefs before and after restoration with reefs that will not be restored. Making these comparisons will allow us to evaluate the outcome of the restoration efforts. This provides Reef Check and managers with the information necessary to help guide where resources and urchin removal efforts are most needed and effective.
After urchins are removed from the restoration area, they are taken back to Noyo Harbor where Reef Check staff and volunteers further process the urchins and measure a number things such as weight and size of urchins and bycatch to better understand the methods used to remove urchin and also investigate the biology of the urchin occupying the reef. Stay tuned in the coming year as we further develop this program (Funding Source: Ocean Protection Council).
|
|
MPA Watch Human Use Date Reports for January-June 2020 Available Online
|
Marine Protected Area (MPA) Watch is a network of programs that support healthy oceans through community science by collecting human use data in and around our protected areas. A variety of standardized and custom data reports are available, including standardized reports for each coastal county in which MPA Watch operates. Standardized reports are available online at mpawatch.org under the Data Reports tab. Reporting periods cover January 1 - June 30 and January 1 - December 31 of each year.
Standardized reports are available without a log in. Customized reports may be requested by emailing the MPA Watch Coordinator at angela@wildcoast.org.
To learn more about what data and reports are available watch this short video, download the MPA Watch data and reports one-pager, or visit MPAWatch.org for more information.
|
|
Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project-
Coho Salmon in Crisis after Santa Cruz Wildfire
|
The Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project's conservation hatchery on Big Creek has experienced severe damage as a result of the CZU lightening complex fires. A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover the cost of repair and the rescue of the surviving fish.
|
|
NEW Blog Series- How to Have a Voice in Fisheries Management
|
The Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is collaborating with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) on a series of blogs to demystify stakeholder engagement in the fisheries management process. In the first post, they provide a broad overview of the agencies that influence fisheries management with feedback from stakeholders. Check out Part One: Overview by visiting the link here.
|
|
Did you head to the beach in Northern Baja or Southern California between March 30 and May 31, 2020?
|
If so, help Surfrider collect important public health and scientific information related to the prolonged red tide by filling out this quick and easy questionnaire (también disponible en español, haz clic aquí)!
|
|
Free Fishing Day - Saturday Sept 5th
If you are new to the sport of fishing, and not sure if you will enjoy it, a great opportunity awaits you. On Saturday September 5th, you can fish without a sport fishing license!
Free Fishing Days provide a great, low-cost way to give fishing a try. While all fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect, on this special day ANYONE can fish without purchasing a fishing license.
On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for:
- steelhead
- sturgeon
- or salmon in the Smith and Klamath-Trinity River Systems.
Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting-Sept 8th
The Council meeting will be virtual and starts on September 8th.
The call-in number and webinar information is not yet posted but will be on the meeting webpage here.
Missed the last meeting and want to catch up? Meeting recordings have a home on the Council website linked here.
California Ocean Protection Council Meeting- September 17th 1-4pm
Snapshot Cal Coast
Help document California's incredible coastal biodiversity!
Snapshot Cal Coast is an annual California statewide citizen science effort that encourages people to make and share observations of plants, animals, and seaweeds along the California coast using the iNaturalist app. Led by the California Academy of Sciences with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Collaborative Network and an array of other partners, we are creating a valuable snapshot in time of where species are located along our coast.
This year, Snapshot Cal Coast will held be in two phases:
-
June 1-November 16: Physically distant and hyper-local; focus on coastal areas near you, alone or with family or quarantine bubble.
-
November 28-December 16: More traditional; organized events and bioblitzes.
Waves & Wildlife Photo Contest
|
|
|
|
|
|
|