Agencies Issue Recommendations on Future of California Ocean Protections

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) recommended that the Fish and Game Commission (FGC) approve several conservation proposals, including tribally led ones, to strengthen California’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) network. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) recommended that the FGC essentially take no action.

These recommendations come ahead of hearings on October 15 and 16, during which the FGC will consider both agencies’ recommendations when it votes on 15 different MPA proposals that ask the state to strengthen — or possibly to weaken — the MPA network.

The following is a statement from Sandy Aylesworth, Director of Pacific Ocean Initiative at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“Two of the Tribally led marine protected area proposals – Point Sal and Mishopshno – offer California a chance to conserve two distinct and incredibly special parts of the Central Coast. With their recommendations for yes votes on both, the Ocean Protection Council has shown its commitment to a healthy ocean into the future.”

“CDFW’s recommendations to the Fish and Game Commission to deny common-sense solutions to building resiliency for future climate impacts to ocean health goes against the vast majority of Californians who support new ocean protections and ignores direct requests from California’s Tribal Nations for Tribal stewardship. The Fish and Game Commission should choose what’s best for California’s ocean and honor these proposals from California Tribes.”

California’s world renowned MPA network is undergoing its first-ever ten-year review process, giving the state the once-in-a-decade opportunity to make California’s ocean more resilient to major climate events, fishing pressures, pollution, and increasing ocean industrialization. Scientists consider MPAs to be an essential ocean conservation tool that boost fish populations, safeguard habitat for marine wildlife, and create powerful ocean experiences for the millions of people who live by and visit California’s coast each year.

The Mishopshno MPA — named for a Chumash village that once stood on the adjacent coastline and sponsored by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians — would protect underrepresented rocky reef habitat, an aggregation area for juvenile white sharks, and one of the region’s few persistent kelp forests. The Point Sal MPA proposal — sponsored by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council — would conserve a seabird roosting and an important marine mammal site, link conserved land with conserved ocean, protect Chumash cultural resources, and be a source of pride for the local Guadelupe community.

The decadal review of the California MPA network is happening at a time when the Trump Administration has restarted offshore drilling in federal waters off California, regions of California have lost 80 to 90 percent of their kelp, and many of California’s most lucrative fisheries are threatened by climate change. The Trump administration also recently reduced the United States’ strongly-protected MPAs from 26% of its waters to 0.01%. Making strategic expansions to California’s MPA network through approval of OPC’s recommendations would be a proactive and prudent investment in a healthy future for California’s ocean.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).