Welcome
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) was created in 2004 to help protect, conserve, and maintain healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and the economies they support. The OPC works with diverse interests and provides the leadership needed to meet the accelerating and complex challenges of our time as set forth in the California Ocean Protection Act.
OPC and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with the California Expert Assessment Group for the Green List, are pleased to release the adapted Green List indicators for public review and comment. Please find the call for comments here and the adapted indicators here. You can find out more about our effort to add California’s unique and globally significant marine protected area network to the IUCN Green List here.
Please use this google form to submit your comments. Comments must be received no later than 5pm on September 10, 2019.
Request for Public Input on Ocean Protection Council’s Priorities
On August 14 from 1-4pm, the Ocean Protection Council will hold one of its quarterly public meetings in Sacramento. The focus of this meeting will be to solicit input from Council members and the public on issues that OPC should prioritize over the next five years, informing the development of OPC’s strategic plan. Public comments at the meeting are encouraged and should describe the top one or two priorities and why OPC should prioritize those issues above others. Written public comments are also welcome and can be submitted via email to COPCpublic@resources.ca.gov.
The meeting agenda can be found here. Questions about the meeting can be directed to Jenn Eckerle, OPC’s Deputy Director, at jenn.eckerle@resources.ca.gov. We look forward to hearing from you.
View Webcast (link will be live at time of meeting)
… read more
Join the Ocean Protection Council in celebrating California’s marine protected areas (MPAs) as we reflect on the establishment of the state’s MPA network, learn about compelling ocean science, and explore innovative ways to support MPA effectiveness into the future.
When:
May 23, 2019
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Where:
California EPA Building
1001 I Street, Room 550
Sacramento, CA 95812
… read more
California recently co-authored a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross opposing proposed Federal rulemaking to streamline the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) consistency review process.
The CZMA is our country’s foundational coastal and marine management legislation. The proposed rulemaking appears to undermine the State’s role in coastal management by shortening the time for review and limiting the scope of continued State objection to outer continental oil and gas exploration and development.
California, alongside Oregon and Washington, maintains that a “balance between national priorities and healthy coastal communities … exists because of the federal consistency process.”
OPC is pleased to release its draft Strategic Priorities to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean, which will guide OPC’s priorities and investments over the next five years.
We welcome feedback on this draft plan. Public comments should be submitted to COPCpublic@resources.ca.gov by 5 pm on April 19, 2019.
A revised draft, based on public comment, will be released on May 3, 2019 for consideration by the Ocean Protection Council at its May 15, 2019 meeting. Questions can be directed to OPC’s Deputy Director, Jenn Eckerle, at jenn.eckerle@resources.ca.gov.
*Please note that this draft has not yet been formatted by a designer. The final document will include photographs and graphics.
At its October 25, 2018 meeting, the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) unanimously approved 24 research projects totaling $6 million in funding through the Proposition 84 Competitive Grants Program. The projects support state priorities focused on stewardship and management of California’s ocean and coastal resources in the areas of: ocean acidification and hypoxia; sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; sea-level rise adaptation and coastal resilience; coastal sediment management; marine pollution; and marine renewable energy.
The research projects were selected through a competitive process based on criteria developed by OPC in alignment with its mission and priorities. California Sea Grant and the University of Southern California Sea Grant facilitated the review panel process and will administer project grants on behalf of OPC. California Sea Grant is administering 12 of the 24 projects in the areas of ocean acidification and hypoxia, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. University of Southern California Sea Grant is administering the remaining 12 projects in the areas of sea-level rise adaptation and coastal resilience, coastal sediment management, marine pollution, and marine renewable energy. Details and links to project descriptions can be viewed HERE.
California Governor
Gavin Newsom
Secretary for Natural Resources
Wade Crowfoot
- February 13 - Sacramento
- May 23 - Sacramento
- August 14 - Sacramento
- November 13 - Sacramento
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Partners
The OPC works jointly with government agencies responsible for ocean and coastal resource management, and is supported by several partner organizations.
