November 10, 2022

California Program Helps Phase Out Drift Gillnets to Protect Whales and Other Marine Species

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Lisa Lien-Mager, California Natural Resources Agency (916) 407-6279 SACRAMENTO – In a step toward more sustainable fishing, a new California program helped 38 commercial fishermen retire large-mesh drift gillnets and adopt gear that better protects sea […]

Categories: Funding Opportunities and Updates, Press Releases, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

October 26, 2022

Registration Open: California Ocean Litter Strategy Webinar

Join the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program for a bi-annual California Ocean Litter Strategy webinar. The webinar will include updates and developments from federal and California agencies on research and […]

Categories: Plastic Pollution, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Water Quality

October 19, 2022

Round 3 Funding for CA MPA Outreach & Education Opens Soon – Technical Assistance is Available

OPC has funded Coastal Quest to administer the third round of a small grants program to support outreach and education projects that increase outreach and engagement of California’s marine protected areas. This program will provide grants between $25,000 and $100,000 […]

Categories: Equity and Environmental Justice, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Marine Protected Areas, Outreach and Education, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

October 13, 2022

Dungeness Crab Task Force Meeting #14 – October 25-26, 2022 – Teleconference

The Dungeness Crab Task Force will hold a public meeting October 25th and 26th, 2022, online.

Categories: Dungeness Crab Task Force, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

October 7, 2022

Updates from the October 6, 2022 Council Meeting

The October 6 Ocean Protection Council (OPC) meeting was an exciting and moving gathering. State and federal agencies, tribes, non-profit and business partners, and members of the public joined together with joyful tears and cheers in support of landmark decision-making […]

Categories: Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, OPC Meetings, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

October 3, 2022

Ocean Protection Council Meeting – October 6, 2022 – Teleconference and Public Forum

The Ocean Protection Council will hold a hybrid public meeting via teleconference and in a public forum at 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 6, 2022.

Categories: Funding Opportunities and Updates, OPC Meetings, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

September 29, 2022

OPC Joins the 30×30 Partnership: A Collaboration for People and Nature

By Michael Esgro, Senior Biodiversity Program Manager & Tribal Liaison Yesterday, hundreds of environmental champions (including OPC leadership and staff!) met at California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) Headquarters in Sacramento for the official kickoff of the 30×30 Partnership. This new […]

Categories: 30x30, Equity and Environmental Justice, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement

September 7, 2022

Harmful Algal Bloom in San Francisco Bay Results in Aquatic Mortality, Fish Kills

September 2022 – Waters in San Francisco Bay have turned reddish-brown this summer due to a multi-week harmful algal bloom (HAB) identified as Heterosigma akashiwo, an invasive species of marine algae responsible for some of the ‘red tides’ that are […]

Categories: Harmful Algal Blooms, Outreach and Education, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Water Quality

September 1, 2022

Fishing for Research: OPC Staff and the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program Team Up in Point Lobos

By Stacy Hayden, Communications Manager It was a calm Friday at 6:30 a.m. when we left the dock on the vessel New Horizon from Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. At the helm was charter boat Captain John Klusmire leading a […]

Categories: Habitats, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

August 19, 2022

MPA Monitoring Series: Ask the Researcher, Part 4: Estuaries and Mid-Depth Rocky Habitat

In the final “Ask the Researcher” webinars held in August, participants discussed important MPA monitoring projects in estuarine habitats and mid-depth rocky habitats. To learn more about this exciting summer series and the previous webinars, check out: Ask the Researcher, Part 1: […]

Categories: Marine Protected Areas, Outreach and Education, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity