New act protects marine life

The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) officially went into effect Sept. 21, two years and 60 public meetings after the idea was officially introduced.

The act designates 29 marine protected areas (MPAs) along the Central Coast from Santa Cruz County through San Luis Obispo County with aspirations of creating healthier, more diverse marine ecosystems in those areas.

“Our goal is to enhance recreational and scientific opportunities in sustainable marine environments,” said Chamois Andersen, an audibly ambitious representative of the MLPA Initiative.

“By 2011 we hope to have our established networks completed.”

The final desire for the MLPA Initiative is to see the entire 1,100 miles of California coastline networked through MPAs.

In light of the recently discovered blue whale deaths, the necessity of the MLPA has been more tangible.

“MPAs will provide an enriched habitat, mammals included,” Andersen said. “We are setting aside systems of safe, diverse marine environments. It will be great for migrating and spawning.”

Cal Poly has taken an integral part in this landmark step toward marine conservation through the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP). They are working with the California Sea Grant Foundation, SLOSEA and others to monitor ecological and socioeconomic effects of the MLPA.

Gov. Schwarzenegger has shown his support by forming the California Ocean Protection Council. The council has taken part in donating $2 million towards the five research teams associated with the MLPA, including the collaborative fisheries project.

Biology professor Dean Wendt led much of the research in the collaborative fisheries project. The project joins researchers with local fishermen to more effectively monitor marine ecosystems, including the MPAs.

“I hope fishermen feel like they were able to take part and trust data that comes from our research,” Wendt said. “We’re using their knowledge within a scientifically rigorous study.”

The collaborative fisheries research team charters local boats and uses the expertise of the crew to catch, record and tag fish, most commonly the native Rockfish. They also bring along several volunteer fishermen, furthering the “collaboration” aspect of the project. “We’re trying to bring in the general public,” Wendt said.

Biology senior Nick Nesbitt has been working with Wendt for four years doing different types of marine research. Last year he joined the research team monitoring Rockfish, a bottom-dwelling species currently being overfished, especially in Southern California. “(Rockfish) have been overdrawn by dragger nets. A lot of populations have collapsed,” Nesbitt said.

Because the Rockfish reaches sexual maturity very slowly (sometimes 30 years), it is important that they have a safe place to reproduce before they are depleted.

“Because they’re slow to reach maturity, we may not see results from this baseline study for a long time,” Nesbitt said. “People need to hold judgment for like 20 years. They want instant gratification and it’s possible that public frustration will destroy this.”

In the past month, the team has caught and tagged 6,000 fish and aims to tag 20,000 by the end of their research. Tags include fish size, GPS location and a phone number. By tagging fish they are preparing for future data; once the tagged fish are re-caught, the team can be contacted to record their behavior.

“We can see how far they’ve traveled, if the fish within MPAs are larger than others and if they are generally staying within the protected areas,” Wendt said.

It is unknown at this point how the restrictions on fishing will affect local fishermen and commercial fishing industries. Although 90 percent of the Central Coast’s fishing areas are still open (including some limited MPAs), fishermen who attended MLPA meetings were reportedly upset when they were told which areas would be off-limits. Time will only tell what economic effect this will have on the industry, especially as the MPAs begin moving along the coast in more prominent fishing spots.

The MLPA Initiative is far from done; the Central Coast network is the first of five with the northern Central Coast underway as the next phase. These 29 sites comprise roughly 204 square miles (18 percent) of state waters where marine environments are protected and ecosystems can be monitored.

“The fact is that everyone needs a healthy ecosystem, whether they are involved directly or indirectly with the fishing industry,” Wendt said.