Point Reyes State Marine Conservation Area and Special Closure. Photograph by Morgan Patton
On December 9th, the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) received their annual update on the state of California’s marine protected areas (MPAs). Following the update and presentation provided by the Fish and Wildlife Department, there was a strong turnout in support of the state MPA program. Several coastal organizations and stakeholders from up and down the state provided updates on individual programs and challenges from 2020, including increased poaching, visitation, and enforcement.
EAC’s Conservation Director provided an update on our local Marin MPA Watch program which collects data at six MPAs in Marin County in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore and California Academy of Sciences, as well as an update around our concerns related to increased activity and visitation at Duxbury Reef.
“Our program was able to continue to collect human use data when public parks were open for walk in recreation. [Last summer], we noticed increased visitation and poaching at Duxbury Reef…which we reported to the [Fish and Wildlife] Department, and we gave an update to the [FGC]. We are grateful to the Department for working with us this fall to address the issues. We also appreciated the partnership on November 14th during the King Tides at Duxbury….[when] our volunteers shared information on the trailhead, [along with Department staff] and deterred four groups who arrived that day to collect shellfish at the reef, all groups were visiting from the greater Bay Area.”
EAC has been working with state agencies to increase education and enforcement at our state and local MPAs including Duxbury Reef. As the pandemic continues, we will remain vigilant in providing education about how to enjoy these amazing places responsibly. While we are thrilled so many people are enjoying our coastal resources, we must take care when we visit them.
EAC looks forward to future partnerships to provide public education and outreach on MPAs in our community to protect sensitive resources. We are lucky to have 16% of our coastline protected as MPAs.
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