Channel Islands MPA Monitoring
The Channel Islands - sometimes called the Galapagos of North America - are known for their rich biodiversity.
In 2002 the California Fish and Game Commission established a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the near shore waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA expanded the MPA network into the sanctuary’s deeper waters in 2006 and 2007, making it the largest MPA network off the continental United States.
Working with the California Department of Fish and Game, NOAA, California State University Monterey Bay and The Nature Conservancy, MARE has collected monitoring data in the deepwater portions of the newly established Channel Islands MPAs annually beginning in 2003.
The goal of this project is to track changes in species abundance over time, including comparisons of abundance within and outside the MPAs in order to assess MPA effects. Our primary focus is rocky reef finfish of commercial and recreational interest.
A report on the first five years of Channel Islands biological monitoring data is here.