The EAC team including our stellar summer interns participated at the California Fish and Game Commission's Marine Resources Committee meeting in-person in Petaluma in July to advocate for our Marine Protected Areas (or MPAs). 

We spoke on a few agenda items including Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Decadal Management Review (Item 5), which is the focus of this article. 

Before we dive into the meeting debrief, we wanted to share a little bit about California’s network of MPAs and how they were created. 

Our advocacy to protect Tomales Bay’s unique habitats and species from poorly sited development continues, as we push the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) to create statewide aquaculture public interest criteria, which will be implemented prior to the issuance of new aquaculture leases. 

We need your help to ensure the FGC understands this issue is important to our membership.  Please Complete this Google Form by adding your name and feedback, so we can emphasize the importance of this issue at the FGC Marine Resources Meeting on July 20th. We also encourage you to send in your own written comments separately by July 7th at 5 PM. See more info. below re. submitting individual comments.

It’s been 10 years since California’s network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) were established. California’s ambitious plan to establish an interconnected network of 124 MPAs along the coast is an international example of adaptive conservation and management, and we are proud to have been part of the process from the very beginning stages of community meetings. Here in Marin County, we are fortunate to have six MPAs, two State Marine Parks, and three Special Closures at some of our favorite coastal areas like Drakes Estero, Drakes Beach, and Duxbury Reef.

In 1999, California passed the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) requiring the state to create an interconnected ecological network of 124 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to protect and sustain the diverse marine life and coastal and ocean habitats through adaptive ecological management strategies. A key part of the adaptive management plan included the development of four-pillars that would guide the implementation of the MLPA to ensure the MPA network was meeting its goals.

At the end of the year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) released the first ever review of the MPA network in their report, California Marine Protected Area Decadal Management Review. The report reviews the last 10-years of research and monitoring; outreach and education; policy and permitting; and enforcement and compliance activities. It also provides the public with information and recommendations for the future to address knowledge gaps and changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions.  

The Fish and Game Commission is in the process of developing criteria for when a new aquaculture lease is or is not found to be in the public interest, which is required under state law. Public interest criteria will be applied when new lease applications are submitted — like the proposed lease by San Andreas Shellfish near the mouth of Tomales Bay. In 2022, EAC participated in a number of public meetings on this topic, attended workshops, coordinated with partners and agency staff, and reviewed and commented on two rounds of draft criteria. 

EAC has been actively following the development of the statewide aquaculture action plan, advocating for a strong plan consistent with the Ocean Protection Council’s strategic plan that explicitly identifies and addresses marine aquaculture impacts. We participated in a working group on this topic, we have spoken at agency meetings, and we meet with OPC staff. In December 2022, we submitted a detailed comment letter with 9 partners, providing feedback on the finalized statewide Guiding Principles for Sustainable Marine Aquaculture and feedback on the forthcoming aquaculture action plan. Our letter also included our collective opposition to marine finfish.

To ensure the Bay remains healthy and thriving, we advocate to protect wildlife and sensitive habitats from harmful industrial, commercial, and excessive recreational development activities.

We fight for consistent management strategies, enforcement, and strong permit conditions; and we engage with state resource management agencies to improve oversight, compliance, and planning guidance.

We work to protect coastal resources, like eelgrass (Zostera marina), species of special concern, endangered and native species, marine mammals, and shore and waterbirds in Tomales Bay and beyond.

2022 was a busy year for our Healthy Tomales Bay campaign!

On March 9th, EAC participated in the 16th annual California Ocean Day, where our team joined with advocates from across the state to celebrate our marine environment. In addition to meeting with our representatives Assemblymember Marc Levine and State Senator Mike McGuire, EAC also attended a panel discussion regarding the “30x30” initiative with Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, and other leaders in the field.