Advising the implementation of the California Marine Life Protection Act

About

Passed in 1999, the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) mandated the creation of a science-based network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in California state waters. The goals of the California network of MPAs under the MPLA are:

1. To protect the natural diversity and function of marine ecosystems.
2. To help sustain and restore marine life populations.
3. To improve recreational, educational, and study opportunities in areas with minimal human disturbance.
4. To protect representative and unique marine life habitats.

To help ensure that these goals are met, a Science Advisory Team, including Principal Investigators from emLab’s Ocean & Fisheries program, was established to develop guidelines for MPA design and to evaluate proposed networks of MPAs.

Approach

We developed a cutting-edge spatial bioeconomic model to evaluate alternative MPA networks proposed by stakeholder groups. The model couples information about fish populations and fish habitat, larval dispersal based on complex ocean circulation patterns, and fishing fleet behavior in order to predict consequences of a given MPA network for conservation and fishery profits. In an iterative process, stakeholders created network proposals and the Science Advisory Team recommended changes based on the modeling results and other scientific criteria.

Key Findings

As of 2021 California has 124 MPAs that cover 16% of state waters. These are grouped into several kinds of protected area designations with different rules about activities that are permitted, such as fishing or other recreational activities. About 9% of the state’s MPAs are no-take marine reserves.