Final technical report - An analysis of citizen science data from LiMPETS in support of the North Central Coast Baseline Characterization Project

The 1999 Marine Life Protection Act directed the state of California to design a comprehensive network of marine protected areas to protect, sustain and conserve marine life populations and increase the health, productivity, and resilience of ocean ecosystems. The MLPA requires monitoring of marine protected areas (MPAs). Monitoring will facilitate adaptive management of MPAs and ensure that the MPA network meets the goals of the Act. The North Central Coast MPA Baseline Program is a collaborative effort among the State Coastal Conservancy, Ocean Protection Council (OPC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Ocean Science Trust, MPA Monitoring Enterprise and California Sea Grant. “The program seeks to provide a summary description, assessment and understanding of ecological and socioeconomic conditions, inside and outside North Central Coast MPAs to be designated under the Marine Life Protection Act, at or near the time of MPA implementation” (NCC MPA Monitoring Plan, 2010). The North Central Coast MPA region consist of 25 MPAs and 6 special closure areas comprised of approximately 153 square miles (20.1%) of state waters within the region. In this project, an existing citizen-science data set, collected through LiMPETS, Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students, will be analyzed and integrated into the baseline data being collected by the other research teams.