California’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are coastal areas with special regulations designed to protect marine life and habitats. Each MPA has different levels of protection; some MPAs prohibit the disturbance of any marine resource, while others allow the take of particular species.
MPA Watch is a statewide monitoring program collecting data on human activities in MPAs. Since 2012, we have led the research being done in Orange County, conducting over 5,000 surveys over the past 12 years.
These monitoring efforts are important, as MPA Watch provides information to reinforce and adaptively manage MPAs. All the collected data guides the local and state agencies when they allocate their limited resources, such as signs, outreach efforts, or enforcement personnel.
In addition, MPA Watch also has educational benefits. While participating in the program, volunteers learn about the marine ecosystem, its benefits, and the importance of conservation.
We just published an MPA Watch report about the last six months. During this period, monitoring was conducted across Orange County’s MPAs in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Dana Point.
The result is positive as the consumptive activity, meaning any activity where a natural resource was collected, has decreased or stayed the same compared to the long-term baseline. The rate of consumptive activities remains relatively low, accounting for less than 1% of all observations recorded.
Eleven potential violations were observed out of 27,799 total activities documented. Specifically, five potential violations were in the Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Areas (SMCAs), three in the Laguna Beach SMCAs, and three in the Dana Point SMCAs.
We look forward to conducting more research in the latter half of 2024! To get involved in this volunteer-driven research program or learn more about MPAs, visit the MPA Watch webpage.
