Faced with increasing threats to ocean health, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established on the West Coast to protect and help rebuild depleted near shore marine ecosystems. Partnering with state agencies and academic institutions, MARE has been conducting baseline and long-term monitoring surveys of the deep subtidal portions of California’s MPAs since 2003. 

MPA LONG-TERM MONITORING

In an effort to provide the State with information on MPA effectiveness, MARE and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) previously conducted baseline surveys in MPAs and reference sites statewide. Now that the California MPA network has been in place since 2012, the State is funding MARE and our partners to resampling select sites to determine how MPA protection may have potentially benefited these deep-water ecosystems. 

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CDFW STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT

Working in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, MARE completed one the most comprehensive deep-water assessments of California’s coastal waters. Looking both inside and outside of MPAs, MARE completed surveys at over 138 sites statewide. The imagery collected during this multi-year assessment builds upon years of surveys completed previously through this long-standing partnership.

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CHANNEL ISLANDS MPAs

Working in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the Channel Islands MPA network was surveyed annually from 2003 through 2009.  Within this unique set of MPAs, MARE and CDFW developed the data collection and video post-processing protocols that have been used throughout California’s MPA networks since 2004.  In 2014 and 2015, MARE returned to the Channel Islands to document changes that had occurred since the MPAs were implemented.  

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MPA BASELINE ASSESSMENT

As regional MPA networks were implemented in California, a baseline assessment program was put forth to set the benchmark from which future changes could be tracked.  Working closely with state agencies and academic institutions, MARE surveyed three of the four MPA regions from 2010 through 2015.  Data collected during this baseline program was used to characterize the species and habitats present within California’s MPAs.  Additionally, the U.S. Navy provided funding to complete a similar baseline assessment of MPAs established along San Clemente Island in 2012 and 2013. 

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