MPA Decadal Review Links
In 2022, the California Department of Fish and Wild Life will be conducting the first decadal review of the Marine Protected Areas. Leading up to this there will be several community meetings held as well as provided studies and information posted by the various departments. Fin and Forage will be working with several groups to build a consensus of what may come out of these meetings and how we should approach it as a community, but we also believe that before that happens, we will do our best to provide everyone with the information needed for everyone to review and build opinions on a personal level. As citizens and consumptive or even non-consumptive users of our public lands, it is important that we communicate and share information that will lead to a balanced level of conservation and maintained accessibility to the wilderness around us.
Links to Information
CDFW Landing Page - An excellent place to start understanding the process and sign up for webinars and meetings.
Meeting Times and Registration Links - A PDF with the direct link to the four community meetings being held by the CDFW and OPC.
Ocean Protection Council Provided Overview of MPAs - As described below.
“some of the work done over the past 10 years in each of the four key areas of the MPA Management Program: Outreach + Education, Research + Monitoring, Policy + Permitting, and Enforcement + Compliance. We also provide some info about the DMR as well towards the end.”
Recording of the Ocean Protection Council Teleconference - MPA topics begin at 56:50
Ocean Trust - Scientific Guidance for Evaluating California’s Marine Protected Area Network.
Explanation of the MPA Review Process from Stephen Wertz -
Senior Environmental Scientist and Supervisor of the MPA Management Process.
In 2022, California’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network will mark the 10th anniversary of its completion. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is conducting a Decadal Management Review, which will result in a report reviewing the past ten years of the MPA Management Program, evaluating the performance of the MPA Network towards meeting the goals of the Marine Life Protection Act, and making recommendations for future adaptive management actions. The informational report will be presented at the December 2022 Fish and Game Commission meeting - no formal action is expected to be taken at this December 2022 meeting. In 2023, the California Fish and Game Commission will consider the content, findings, and recommendations in the Decadal Management Review and will determine whether to direct the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and implementation partners to pursue specific actions.
In order to share information and gather input about the Decadal Management Review, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in collaboration with the Ocean Protection Council, will host public engagement events in 2021 and 2022. The first public engagement events will be a series of virtual Community Meetings, each focused on a specific audience including fishing interests, recreational users, nongovernmental organizations, researchers, MPA practitioners, and other ocean interests. Meetings will be public and will follow the same format and cover the same basic information, with highlights tailored to each particular group’s interests and priorities. The meetings will begin with a brief orientation to California’s MPA Management Program and the 2022 MPA Decadal Management Review, followed by a discussion of perspectives on priorities, definitions of success, and the roles of respective communities in state management of the MPA network. Tribes will also be engaged through separate engagements.
Time Line Breakdown
PUBLIC PROCESS AND FEEDBACK: CDFW with Strategic Earth just completed four Community Engagement Public Meetings with the following communities separately:
Recreational Fishing, Oct.18, 2021, 97 participants
Commercial Fishing, Oct.19, 2021, 79 participants
Non-consumptive Community, Nov.3, 2021, 133 participants
and Government Agencies, Nov.4, 2021, 78 participants
Community Meeting recordings are available here
At these meetings, CDFW staff asked the same questions to each community:
What are your highest priority topics/issues and sources of information that should be considered in the Decadal Management Review?
How would you define, measure, and/or assess progress toward Marine Life Protection Act goals?
What role would you like your community to play in the MPA Management Program moving forward?
Any other reflections/recommendations regarding MPA management and the role of the ocean community in the broader MPA program?
HOW TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK AND REACH MANAGERS: If anyone missed those meetings, they are welcome to send responses to these questions in writing to the following staff at CDFW and OPC:
Lindsay Bonito at OPC (lindsay.bonito@resources.ca.gov)
At CDFW, Chenchen Shen (chenchen.shen@wildlife.ca.gov) and Sara Worden (Sara.Worden@wildlife.ca.gov) are the main staff working on the Decadal Review under Craig Shuman and Becky Ota.
Many of the concerns voiced by BHA members align with common themes which have emerged from these community meetings.
Summaries of the highlights from the communities are attached and available here (only 9 pages): here is what fishing communities have already expressed and is under consideration at CDFW:
"Participants from the recreational fishing community and ocean governance community expressed their belief that MPA goals are too broad as currently written. They are unsure whether the State hopes to achieve a return to pristine conditions, slow the rate of decline, maintain the current ecological conditions, or a “middle ground” approach."
"Participants from the recreational and commercial fishing communities expressed a desire to understand how effective MPAs have been in achieving the educational and ecological goals of the MLPA. A common question was, “Have fish stocks been improved by MPAs?”"
"Participants from the recreational and commercial fishing communities expressed a desire for MPA goals to be updated to include a return of fishing opportunities, especially in notable legacy fishing areas."
"Members of the non-consumptive community expressed interest in an economic assessment of the recreational value of MPAs and healthy coastal ecosystems."
"Participants across the ocean community expressed interest in understanding how the Review relates to the 30x30 initiative and whether MPA Network expansion is being considered to achieve the goals of 30x30."
"Participants from the recreational and commercial fishing communities expressed concern that fishing effort is concentrated along MPA boundaries and current research is not sufficiently studying this phenomenon and how it may impact the success of MPAs and their ability to provide “spillover” into areas outside MPAs beyond the immediate MPA borders."
Embedding human needs in MPA network management: Ocean Science Trust ran a working group which provided guidance to CDFW and FGC how to incorporate human dimensions of coastal economies in the future management of the MPA network, in other words, to look out for the people as well as nature. The next decade is slated to include changed monitoring and management practices that better incorporate coastal communities and coastal economies.
THE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS:
January 2022: Long-term monitoring reports which build upon baseline monitoring data will be publicly available. • CDFW receives information from federal and local partners involved in the MPA Management Program since 2012 to include in the Review report as appendices.
February 2022: Overview of long-term monitoring reports presented at the Fish and Game Commission February 16-17, 2022 meeting.
January 2023: CDFW releases the Review report to the public.
March 2023: The Fish and Game Commission’s Marine Resources Committee discusses the Review and any adaptive management recommendations. Public comments are taken to solicit public feedback. • A public symposium is held in conjunction with the Marine Resources Committee meeting (date TBD). The symposium will feature opportunities to learn more about MPA science and management recommendations.
April 2023: The Fish and Game Commission’s Tribal Committee discusses the Review and adaptive management recommendations and solicits Tribal feedback. • The Fish and Game Commission considers any recommendations and/or findings, then provides CDFW with direction on next steps.
To learn more about the 2022 MPA Decadal Management Review, including Community Meetings, please visit https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs/Management/Decadal-Review. Questions and comments about the Decadal Management Review can be submitted to MPAManagementReview@wildlife.ca.gov.
There is a lot to unpack and review and we are working diligently to create a informed and balanced overview on the upcoming process. If you have questions, additional information or would like to discuss this with us please feel free to reach out to RyanGentry@FinandForage.com