Visit Our New 30×30 Webpage and Register for an Upcoming Discussion

What is 30×30?

In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20, which committed to conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 as part of a broader effort to fight climate change, protect biodiversity, and expand access to nature for all Californians. In 2022, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) released Pathways to 30×30: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature, which details strategies and opportunities for achieving the 30×30 target.

Visit our new 30×30 webpage to learn more about: 

  • How much of our coastal waters are already conserved. 
  • The state’s strategies for achieving the 30×30 target in coastal waters. 
  • Ways to stay updated and get involved. 

Plus, register online for our next virtual workshop! 

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The MPA Network Decadal Management Review and Forum

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network Decadal Management Review (Review) report is now available!

The Review provides a synthesis of the last decade of management activities in the four pillars of the MPA Management Program and the effectiveness of the MPA Network at meeting the goals of the Marine Life Protection Act. The Review is informed by many sources of information, including an integrative analysis of statewide MPA monitoring data, shared perspectives and priorities from California Native American Tribes, information from MPA management partners, MPA enforcement data, scientific collecting permit data, and input from the broader ocean community.

Read the NEW Review summary, Decade of Ocean Conservation: Key Findings from the First Review of California’s Marine Protected Area Network.

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Virtual Webinar “A Decade of Ocean Conservation – An Update on California’s Marine Protected Areas”

California Natural Resources Secretary Speaker Series

UPDATE: The recording is now available:

February 14, 2023 at 1:00 PM via Zoom

California’s 124 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) span our state’s entire coastline to conserve tidepools, sandy beaches, submarine canyons, estuaries, and kelp forests, and to protect all life that depends on these unique places. Established 10 years ago through a science-based and community-driven process, California’s MPA Network is now among the largest, most sophisticated marine conservation efforts anywhere in the world. State agencies have recently released a comprehensive assessment of how the MPA Network performed over its first decade, revealing where MPAs are making a difference and scientific questions that remain.

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Updates from the January 24, 2023 Council Meeting

The January 24 Ocean Protection Council (OPC) meeting finalized significant efforts from 2022 and set the framework for continued progress toward protecting California’s coast and ocean in 2023.

OPC staff presented the Annual Coast and Ocean Report highlighting both preliminary indicators for ocean health and a retrospective of OPC accomplishments towards achieving 2020-2025 Strategic Plan goals in 2022. Action items on the agenda supporting OPC’s 2023 efforts towards meeting Strategic Plan goals were all passed unanimously by the Council, including:

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Round 3 Funding for CA MPA Outreach & Education Opens Soon – Technical Assistance is Available

OPC has funded Coastal Quest to administer the third round of a small grants program to support outreach and education projects that increase outreach and engagement of California’s marine protected areas.

This program will provide grants between $25,000 and $100,000 to proposals that engage or conduct outreach targeting:

  • the recreational and commercial fishing communities
  • communities of color that have been underserved in MPA management and education
  • California Native American tribes or tribal organizations

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Updates from the October 6, 2022 Council Meeting

The October 6 Ocean Protection Council (OPC) meeting was an exciting and moving gathering. State and federal agencies, tribes, non-profit and business partners, and members of the public joined together with joyful tears and cheers in support of landmark decision-making in areas of tribal engagement and environmental justice as well as continued uplifting of the best available science to meet some of the state’s biggest challenges.

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Fishing for Research: OPC Staff and the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program Team Up in Point Lobos

By Stacy Hayden, Communications Manager

It was a calm Friday at 6:30 a.m. when we left the dock on the vessel New Horizon from Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. At the helm was charter boat Captain John Klusmire leading a coffee-fueled group of deck hands and volunteer anglers, including six OPC staff, out along Central California’s rugged coastline. This wasn’t any old fishing trip; this was serious scientific business. Our host for the day, the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP), has been collaborating on fisheries research with the help of scientists and fishermen since 2007. OPC staff were just a few of the volunteer anglers on board that day supporting CCFRP’s efforts of conducting catch and release data collection to evaluate the effects of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on fish populations.  

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MPA Monitoring Series: Ask the Researcher, Part 4: Estuaries and Mid-Depth Rocky Habitat

In the final “Ask the Researcher” webinars held in August, participants discussed important MPA monitoring projects in estuarine habitats and mid-depth rocky habitats. To learn more about this exciting summer series and the previous webinars, check out: Ask the Researcher, Part 1: Kelp and Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems, Part 2: Ocean Observing Systems and Sandy Beach Ecosystems, and Part 3: CCFRP and Commercial & CPFV Fisheries.

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MPA Monitoring Series: Ask the Researcher, Part 3: California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program and Commercial & CPFV Fisheries 

In the 5th and 6th “Ask the Researcher” MPA monitoring series webinars held in July, we discussed the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) and Human Dimensions: Commercial & Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel (CPFV) Fishing. To learn more about this exciting summer series, and the previous webinars, check out: Ask the Researcher, Part 1: Kelp and Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems and Part 2: Ocean Observing Systems and Sandy Beach Ecosystems. 

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