Reef Check California’s North Coast Kelp Forest Restoration project has begun! Since 2014, bull kelp in northern California, primarily along the Sonoma and Mendocino county coastline, has declined more than 90% due to a combination of extreme warm water events and multiple ecological stressors, including significant increases in purple sea urchin populations, which feed upon the kelp. This has led to a large-scale shift from bull kelp forests to urchin barrens across most of the region. This shift has caused significant losses of kelp forest biodiversity and ecosystem services, resulting in the collapse of the North Coast commercial red urchin fishery ($3 Million ex-vessel value) beginning in 2015 and the closure of the recreational red abalone fishery (estimated at $44 Million non-market value) in 2018.

Earlier this month, Reef Check and partners began to remove purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) from a restoration area in North Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg (Caspar Cove is the next site this effort will target). The goal of this collaborative project is to ultimately catalyze a phase shift from urchin barren to kelp forest on targeted reefs. Furthermore, we are assessing if purple urchin densities can be reduced and maintained over time to allow kelp to grow and serve as a kelp oasis, providing spores (kelp seeds) to surrounding areas. This project will play a vital role in determining how resource managers choose to move forward with kelp restoration strategies state-wide, thus helping to evaluate the costs and benefits of human intervention in a dynamic oceanic environment.

Prior to urchin removal efforts, Reef Check divers collected ecosystem information (such as fish, invertebrate and algae densities) to get a picture of what reefs looked like at the time at which restoration began in areas to be restored and in other areas that will not be touched. Following the removal of urchin, Reef Check divers will conduct quality control surveys to assess the effectiveness of the effort and ecosystem surveys to compare reefs before and after restoration with reefs that will not be restored. Making these comparisons will allow us to evaluate the outcome of the restoration efforts. This provides Reef Check and managers with the information necessary to help guide where resources and urchin removal efforts are most needed and effective.

After urchins are removed from the restoration area, they are taken back to Noyo Harbor where Reef Check staff and volunteers further process the urchins and measure a number things such as weight and size of urchins and bycatch to better understand the methods used to remove urchin and also investigate the biology of the urchin occupying the reef. Stay tuned in the coming year as we further develop this program (Funding Source: Ocean Protection Council).

Marine Protected Area (MPA) Watch is a network of programs that support healthy oceans through community science by collecting human use data in and around our protected areas. A variety of standardized and custom data reports are available, including standardized reports for each coastal county in which MPA Watch operates. Standardized reports are available online at mpawatch.org under the Data Reports tab. Reporting periods cover January 1 - June 30 and January 1 - December 31 of each year.

Standardized reports are available without a log in. Customized reports may be requested by emailing the MPA Watch Coordinator at angela@wildcoast.org.

To learn more about what data and reports are available watch this short video, download the MPA Watch data and reports one-pager, or visit MPAWatch.org for more information.

Video link: https://youtu.be/1ahusBT0IwQ

One pager link: https://mpawatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MPA-Watch-Data-and-Reports.pdf

The Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project's conservation hatchery on Big Creek has experienced severe damage as a result of the CZU lightening complex fires. A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover the cost of repair and the rescue of the surviving fish.

To learn more about the MBSTP, please visit their website. 

The Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is collaborating with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) on a series of blogs to demystify stakeholder engagement in the fisheries management process. In the first post, they provide a broad overview of the agencies that influence fisheries management with feedback from stakeholders. Check out Part One: Overview by visiting the link here.  

If so, help Surfrider collect important public health and scientific information related to the prolonged red tide by filling out this quick and easy questionnaire (también disponible en español, haz clic aquí)!

If you are new to the sport of fishing, and not sure if you will enjoy it, a great opportunity awaits you. On Saturday September 5th, you can fish without a sport fishing license!

 Free Fishing Days provide a great, low-cost way to give fishing a try. While all fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect, on this special day ANYONE can fish without purchasing a fishing license.

On Free Fishing Days, every angler must have the appropriate report card if they are fishing for:

For more information, click here.

The Council meeting will be virtual and starts on September 8th. 

The call-in number and webinar information is not yet posted but will be on the meeting webpage here. 

Missed the last meeting and want to catch up? Meeting recordings have a home on the Council website linked here.

To register, click here.

Help document California's incredible coastal biodiversity!

Snapshot Cal Coast is an annual California statewide citizen science effort that encourages people to make and share observations of plants, animals, and seaweeds along the California coast using the iNaturalist app. Led by the California Academy of Sciences with support from the California Ocean Protection Council, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Collaborative Network and an array of other partners, we are creating a valuable snapshot in time of where species are located along our coast.

This year, Snapshot Cal Coast will held be in two phases:

For more information, visit this link.

The Save Our Shores Waves & Wildlife Marine Protected Area Photo Exhibition is accepting 2020 entries until September 26, 2020. Submit your best photos and videos of state MPAs along the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary for a chance to win!