The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is pleased to announce that the draft Marine Protected Area (MPA) Monitoring Action Plan (Action Plan) is now available online. Public comments can be submitted on the Action Plan and Action Plan appendices by email at R7MPA@wildlife.ca.gov until August 16, 2018.
Quantitative and expert informed approaches to long-term monitoring have been under development since the start of baseline monitoring to describe conditions inside and outside MPAs. The draft Action Plan, developed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Ocean Protection Council, is designed to inform next steps for long-term monitoring, and identifies priority metrics, sites, species, and habitats. The draft Action Plan incorporates knowledge from the MPA design process, baseline monitoring projects, and additional scientific study in California on MPAs over the past decade, as well as novel approaches that are currently emerging. The contents of the draft Action Plan are concurrently undergoing peer review.
The draft Action Plan is a non-regulatory document intended to be used by partners interested in applying for funding to conduct MPA monitoring, as well as other entities with significant authority, mandates, or interests relating to California’s MPA Network. The draft Action Plan will be presented to the California Fish and Game Commission and California Ocean Protection Council at the following meetings:
Fish and Game Commission
- July 17, 2018, San Clemente – Discussion (Marine Resources Committee)
- August 22-23, 2018, Fortuna – Discussion
- October 17-18, 2018, Fresno – Potential Approval
Ocean Protection Council
- October 25, 2018, Santa Cruz – Potential Approval
Interested parties are encouraged to access and review the draft Action Plan and Appendices, then submit draft Action Plan-related comments to R7MPA@wildlife.ca.gov by August 16, 2018.
For more information about California’s MPAs, please visit the California MPA website.
post by Amanda Van Diggelen, CDFW Environmental Scientist
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