Environmental Justice, Marine Protected Areas, & Ocean Access in California -- Ocean_Justice

Coastal California is home to a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
that aim to safeguard the state’s marine resources and ecosystems. Little
is known about who is served and not served by California’s MPAs, with
large gaps in environmental justice implications. Our study aimed to
investigate access to MPAs across communities in California using multiple
lines of evidence, with a focus on subsistence fishers (pier fishers and
others who do not sell their catch) who are often indirectly marginalized
by MPAs. To address this, we 1) conducted a literature review on equity
and environmental justice (EEJ) in California’s ocean management policies,
2) compared time traveled to MPAs for zip codes of different demographics,
3) conducted a literature review on subsistence fishing in California, and
4) compared demographics of subsistence fishers with intensity of
ocean-based pollution linked to fished species. Our EEJ literature review
highlighted a gap in policies addressing equitable ocean access. Our
spatial analysis revealed disparities in coastal access by age, race, and
income. Our subsistence fishing literature review highlighted that little
is known about California’s current subsistence fishing, though
biophysical aspects are better studied than socioeconomic aspects. Our
analysis of pollution and subsistence fishing suggested that many
subsistence fishers from disadvantaged communities are fishing in areas
with high pollution. State and federal agencies can utilize our results to
develop effective future management strategies for equitable access to
California’s MPAs that take disadvantaged communities into account,
especially subsistence fishers, to increase their representation in the
decision-making process.