A Framework for Condition Assessment and Monitoring of Estuary MPAs in California

The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) was established by the California Legislature in 1999, and it's main purpose was to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that would serve as "ocean parks" to protect marine life and habitat. We are now about 15 year into the process and to date we still have very little understanding of estuaries within the MLPA network, and if they are meeting their goals of enhancing fisheries and protecting biodiversity. Sonoma State, in collaboration with Moss Landing Marine Labs, CSU Long Beach, UC Davis, UCLA, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, and the Bay Area Regional Water Quality Control Board were recently awarded $1 million from the Ocean Protection Council to 1)determine the status of estuarine MPAs in the state of California, and 2)develop a long-term monitoring program that will be used to assess estuarine MPA conditions for decades into the future.