Marine Life Protection Act

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center

Point Reyes National Seashore

© Marc Shargel / LivingSeaImages.com

The Critical Need for Ocean Protection
“ G r e at f i s h w i l l g o t h e way o f t h e d i n o s au r s , ” In an independent study from 2006, Dr. Boris Worm predicts that based on current
claimed the late Dr. Ransom Myers, co-author with Dr. Boris Worm, of a 2003 rates of fisheries declines, one hundred percent of the current commercial fisheries
scientific study that published a controversial finding: currently, the oceans will collapse by 2048. The future of the ocean looks bleak indeed.
worldwide have lost 90% of all large, predatory fish such as sharks and tuna due to
the commercial overfishing and exploitation of these creatures. Yet we are not left without hope. In the same article where Dr. Worm projected
a global commercial fishery crash, he provides scientific evidence for our hope in
If this is true, the consequences would be staggering. Large, top predators drive a solution to the ocean woes we are facing. Marine protected areas are underwa-
the food chain in many ecosystems and control the population of many mid- and ter areas set aside and protected for the sake of preserving a portion of our oceans
low-level animals, maintaining the health and natural balance of an ecosystem. (An and their inhabitants for the future. These areas are usually selected because they
ecosystem is a community of organisms and the physical environment in which they are vulnerable, exceptional, biologically critical, or culturally important. They are
interact). Losing the majority of these top predators would be devastating, since protected from fishing pressures and other extractive uses in hopes of protecting
healthy ecosystems have been shown again and again to be more resilient to and a whole ecosystem. Scientists have shown worldwide that marine protected areas,
quicker to recover from natural and man-made disasters such as El Niño events, particularly no-take marine reserves, have been successful at reversing the loss of
hurricanes, tsunamis, oil spills, and the like. But is it true? Are the scientists right in marine biodiversity, at least on a small scale. What’s more, scientists and manag-
sounding the alarm, or is it another one of those “the sky is falling!” cries? ers have shown that this kind of recovery also translates to increased productivity,
resulting in commercial revenue from increased fish catches around reserves and
In the five years since Myers and Worm’s paper, many more researchers have exam- tourism revenue within reserves.
ined the issue of “over-fishing”, the destruction of ocean habitats, and their effect
on the ocean ecosystem. What were their conclusions? They are saying that our
collective human impacts on the ocean environment are far greater than we initially
imagined, and the issue isn’t just the fishing of top predators. Dr. Jeremy Jackson, a
marine scientist in San Diego writes in a recent scientific paper published in August
2008, “The degrading effects of fishing, habitat destruction, introduced species, and
eutrophication reinforce each other through positive feedbacks.” Other issues that
Dr. Jackson cites are “warming, acidification, toxins, and massive runoff of nutri-
ents.” He writes, “Today, the synergistic effects of human impacts are laying the
groundwork for a comparably great [human related] mass extinction in the oceans
with unknown ecological and evolutionary consequences.”

All these warning cries by top scientists are backed up by data from their research.
Dr. Jackson and a group of scientists recently performed an exhaustive review of
twelve coastal seas and estuaries worldwide where historical data were available,
and they examined eighty different species in all the major groups of marine plants
and animals. They found that across the board, the patterns of degradation are
consistent in many different marine environments and with many different spe-
cies, whether coral reefs, estuaries, or coastal seas, fish and sharks, or whether in the
© Chuck Savall

open ocean and continental shelf.

Compared to historic pristine conditions, globally, wetlands have decreased by 67%

and eelgrasses by 65%. In estuaries and coastal seas worldwide, fish such as salmon
that travel between freshwater rivers and the ocean are depleted by 81%, large ma- Cover photo: Young-of-the-year gopher rockfish amid a jumble of invertebrates including straw-
rine carnivores are 77% degraded, ground fish have a 62% loss, and even the least berry anemones at the Farallon Islands.
depleted marine fauna, the crustaceans, have experienced a 39% decline. Above: A grey reef shark preparing to feed at Blue Corner, Palau.
 Marine Life Protection Act
The coastal ocean off California’s 1120 miles of shoreline has Pigeon Point (just south of Half Moon Bay) north to Point
been strongly impacted over the last century. And no wonder Arena in Mendocino County. Point Reyes is included in the
– approximately 80% of California’s 33 million residents live north central coast study region.
within 30 miles of the Pacific Ocean. California has the largest
ocean economy of all the states. With this kind of impact and National Park Service Involvement
reliance upon our ocean resources, it is a wonder that we are The National Park Service through Point Reyes National Sea-
not doing more to protect and preserve this natural resource shore has been very involved with the current phrase of the
of ours. Given the global state of fisheries nowadays, our state MLPA Initiative, contributing one member to the Science
has much to lose if we do not act now to set aside some marine Advisory Team and two members to the Regional Stakehold-
areas for the future. ers Group. For the last year and a half, they have put in count-
less hours to provide expert scientific knowledge and local
Marine protected areas in California coastal waters have been understanding as well as a commitment to cooperation and
established for over 50 years, but these areas were too permis- compromise. The final product arising from the last Regional
sive, too small, and too far apart from one another to ensure Stakeholders Group meeting was not anyone’s first choice,
full ecosystem protection. The Marine Life Protection Act but was a result of the balancing act between many competing
(MLPA) was passed by California legislators in 1999 in order to needs and interests.
better evaluate the current state of California’s coastal waters
and to direct the state to create and manage a network of ma- Marine Reserves in Action
rine protected areas along the California coastline. These new There are numerous and varied benefits to establishing ma-
marine protected areas are created in a network and based on rine protected areas. Marine protected areas protect eco-
Why this publication?
A Note from the Author the best available science, information from local stakeholders systems as a whole, which includes individual species of fish,
and scientists, and economic analysis. invertebrates, and marine mammals as well as the habitats in
Can you remember what our oceans which they live. Having robust ecosystems not only improves
were like fifty years ago? Can you re- A Group Approach the output of these ecosystems (in terms of fisheries output) it
member the stories of the huge fish our The MLPA Initiative is a public-private partnership of private also makes them more resilient to harmful climatic events and
fathers and grandfathers caught? Can funding organizations, California Department of Fish and human-caused events such as oil spills.
you remember the wild seas? Game and many individuals who volunteer their time. They
have been instrumental to the establishment of marine pro- On a broader scale, the main benefit of establishing a robust
We see but a glimpse of this glorious tected areas, and include a science advisory board and local network of marine protected areas is to preserve the ocean for
ocean today. Our coastal seas are but a
stakeholders: recreational and commercial fishermen, envi- future generations to enjoy. Nearly 100 years ago, the National
poor reflection of what it once was and
ronmentalists, scientists, recreationists, and educators. Park Service was established to protect special places on the
what it should have been today. The
land for the American public to enjoy for generations to come.
oceans are in trouble, and unfortunately,
mankind has been largely to blame for Phases of Growth We see the legacy of the National Park Service today at Point
all this. The MLPA is being implemented in five phases. The first phase Reyes National Seashore. If this place were not set aside as a
was directed on the central coast where 29 marine protected National Park then this location would most likely be devel-
But recovery is still possible. The oceans areas were established in September 2007. The central coast oped and these natural, wild areas would be lost. Likewise, we
are resilient, if we only give it a chance study region extended north from Point Conception in Santa now have an opportunity to establish marine protected areas
- some time and space to recover. In a Barbara County to Pigeon Point in San Mateo County. in California state waters. These marine protected areas would
way, we too have been given our chance preserve the health of these special marine areas for many fu-
at redemption. The second phase, which is currently under review, is the ture generations to come.
north central coast phase, which spans the coastal waters from

“It is vital that human society become knowledgeable about the

importance of the sea, about why we should care and about
what actions we can take that will enable us to secure a healthy
ocean and a healthy future for ourselves.” - Dr. Sylvia Earle
All photos on this page © Galen Leeds / GalenLeeds.net

2 Marine Life Protection Act

Currently Under Review:
the Integrated Preferred Alternative
North Central Coast Marine Protected Areas
The integrated preferred alternative is a
proposal that was developed by the Blue
Integrated Preferred Alternative
Ribbon Task Force, the guiding body of
MLPA Initiative, as a compromise between
the three final stakeholders’ proposals. It
is currently being reviewed, along with the
three final proposals, by the California Fish
and Game Commission under the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

In the integrated preferred alternative, there

are a few marine protected areas proposed in
waters of Point Reyes National Seashore:

Two state marine reserves in close

proximity to one another:
1 the first, off the Point Reyes Headlands,
including parts of Drakes Bay, and the
southern part of Drakes Estero.
2 The second includes all of Limantour
Estero.
The state marine reserves do not allow for any 4 2
take, but do allow access (provided that fishing
gear is stowed).

Two state marine conservation areas: 1

3 the first is off of Point Reyes Headlands,
extending from the edge of the state marine 3
reserve to the three mile state line. This marine
conservation area prohibits all take except for
commercial salmon trolling and Dungeness 5
crab by trap.
4 The second is in Drakes Estero north
of the state marine reserve, where shellfish
mariculture and recreational clamming is
allowed. Regarding this marine conservation
area, the integrated preferred alternative states,
“if at any time, it becomes feasible to create a
[state marine reserve] at Drakes Estero, this
proposal recommends doing so.”

5 One small state marine park at

Duxbury Reef, intended to protect intertidal
invertebrates and algae in a restricted area, but
this marine park does not extend beyond the
intertidal zone.

Three proposed special closures for bird

and mammal colonies. These special closures
are designed to protect some sensitive colonies
of birds and marine mammals that live and
breed in these areas. Special closures are the
only places designed by the Marine Life Pro-
tection Act that limit access; all other marine
protected areas allow for access. These special
closures include:

1) 1000-ft special closure around the Point Reyes

Headlands, except for the western end of the
Headlands. This special closure is intended to
protect nine nesting seabird species (more than
43,000 birds) as well as the marine mammals that
pup and haul-out at the Headlands.
Holly Fearnbach / NOAA

2) 300-ft special closure around Point Resistance, a

seabird colony.

3) 300-ft special closure around Stormy Stack, a rock

next to Double Point, which is a seabird colony.

For information on the other marine protected

Josh Pederson / Monterey Bay National

areas seen in the map on the right, visit the

MLPA website: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Marine Sanctuary

Clockwise from top left:

Pacific white-sided dolphins, yelloweye
© Kip Evans

rockfish, common murre, and black and

yellow rockfish. These are some of the
species protected under the Marine Life
Protection Act.

Marine Life Protection Act 3

 STANDARD MAIL
National Park Service
U.S. POSTAGE
U.S. Department of the Interior
PAID
Petaluma, CA
Point Reyes National Seashore PERMIT NO. 79
Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center

1 Bear Valley Road

Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A™

Pacific Coast Science & Learning Center

The Pacific Coast Science and Learning

Center is one of 21 Research Learning
Centers at National Parks across the
country working to increase the effective-
ness and communication of research and
science through:
• Facilitating the use of parks for
scientific inquiry © Galen Leeds / GalenLeeds.net
• Supporting science-informed deci-
sion making
• Communicating relevance and pro-
viding access to research knowledge
• Promoting resource stewardship
through partnerships

Acknowledgements
Sarah Allen
Ben Becker
John Dell’Osso Marine Life Protection Act Public Process
Don Neubacher
Adam Smith
The California Fish and Game Commission (CFGC) will be deciding
on a network of marine protected areas on the North Central Coast
Additional Resources
in the upcoming months, and they are soliciting your comments. The official MLPA website: http://dfg.ca.gov/mlpa
Comments? Write to:
Jessica Luo A Sheltered Sea: The Journey of the California Marine Life Protection Act
There are public comment periods at the CFGC meetings. The
Ocean Education & Outreach Coordinator The entire 23-minute film can be viewed at:
upcoming CFGC meetings are:
Point Reyes National Seashore http://www.thebaumfoundation.org/ashelteredsea.html
November 13-14, 2008 Huntington Beach
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
December 11-12, 2008 Sacramento Wonders of the Sea: North Central California’s Living Marine Riches
February 5-6, 2009 Sacramento Book of photos by Marc Shargel
E-mail: Jessica_Luo@partner.nps.gov
march 5-6, 2009 Monterey Central Coast Marine Protected Areas (between Point Conception
Phone: 415 464-5132
Agendas and details for these meetings can be found at in Santa Barbara County to Pidgeon Point in San Mateo County):
http://www.fgc.ca.gov http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/ccmpas_list.asp
Website
www.nps.gov/pore/parkmgmt/pcslc.htm
If you’re unable to attend the meetings, you can send your
comments in to the Commissioners: “Ocean Updates” E-Mail List
The National Park Service cares
E-MAIL fgc@fgc.ca.gov
for the special places saved by the We have an email list for updates on the MLPA, ocean science, and
postal mail
American people so that all may upcoming ocean film and lectures at Point Reyes National Seashore.
California Fish and Game Commission
experience our heritage. To subscribe, send an email to Jessica_Luo@partner.nps.gov with
P.O. Box 944209
“Subscribe Ocean Updates” in the subject line.
Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

4 Marine Life Protection Act