From the Marine Region Manager: 2015 Year in Review

2015 Marine Region projects summary (click image)

I will remember 2015 as a year characterized by unusual ocean conditions, uncommon events and some very rare circumstances. What started off as a relatively “normal” year quickly changed in mid-April with the closing of the West Coast sardine fishery. Just over a month later the Refugio oil spill occurred, resulting in widespread ecological damage and a six week fishing closure along the Gaviota coast in the Santa Barbara Channel.

As abnormally warm ocean waters blanketed the coast throughout summer and fall, semi-tropical and tropical species were observed off our shores. The warm water brought not only red crabs and sea snakes to Southern California beaches, but some great fishing.

From the Marine Region Manager: 2014 Year in Review

2014 Region Projects Summary (click image)

As stated in our mission, science and communication are the cornerstones of everything we do in the Marine Region. On any given day, Marine Region staff can be found along California’s 1,100 mile coastline examining the ocean’s flora and fauna both under water and in the lab, engaging stakeholders through public meetings and informal discussions, and out on the docks surveying and distributing the myriad of outreach materials we produce. In 2014, we prepared a special marine issue in the 100th volume of California Fish and Game that highlighted the cutting-edge science performed by Marine Region staff. We also unveiled the new and

From The Marine Region Manager

Craig Shuman

Many sense the arrival of autumn as the days grow shorter, the kids go back to school, and a certain crisp chill pervades the air. For Marine Region staff and many of you out there, some additional signs of autumn include the winding up of salmon and some groundfish seasons, and the beginning of spiny lobster and Dungeness crab seasons. I encourage you to take advantage of the precious autumn sunshine, the glorious weather, and unusually warm water by dusting off the hoop nets, crab pots, or dive gear and getting out to the ocean to enjoy our magnificent marine resources.

From The Marine Region Manager

Craig Shuman

Welcome to the first posting of the reinvigorated and refreshed Marine Management News, your source for news and updates on marine resource management in California. You will notice that I used the term “posting” as opposed to “issue” as we have switched to a blog format to take advantage of the flexibility of this digital platform.

Rather than periodic distributions of discrete issues, the blog format will enable more frequent and timely updates. Please be assured that our new format will still give you all the information and interesting stories you have come to expect from the Marine Management News.