September 2, 2025

New Quillback Rockfish Stock Assessment and Rapid State Response Improves Groundfish Fishing Opportunity

The waters off California’s coast are home to more than 90 species of groundfish—like lingcod, sablefish, and rockfish—that support recreational and commercial fishing across the state. When a groundfish species is declared overfished, like Quillback Rockfish was in 2023, it […]

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

August 20, 2025

Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – August

The August 2025 OPC newsletter is available!

Categories: 30x30, Climate Change, Coastal Habitats, Equity and Environmental Justice, Event, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Leadership and Staff Updates, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Monthly Newsletter, OPC Meetings, Outreach and Education, Public Comment Opportunity, Report Release, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Strategic Goal 4: Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement, Water Quality

July 14, 2025

Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – July

The July 2025 OPC newsletter is available!

Categories: 30x30, Climate Change, Coastal Habitats, Equity and Environmental Justice, Event, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Leadership and Staff Updates, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Monthly Newsletter, OPC Meetings, Outreach and Education, Public Comment Opportunity, Report Release, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Strategic Goal 4: Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement, Water Quality

July 1, 2025

Marine Protected Area Statewide Leadership Team: Work Plan 2025 -2030

On July 1, 2025, the Marine Protected Area Statewide Leadership Team (MSLT) released a new Work Plan outlining key actions to enhance the effective, adaptive management of California’s globally recognized marine protected area (MPA) network. Recently honored on the IUCN […]

Categories: Coastal Habitats, Habitats, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Report Release, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

June 18, 2025

Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – June

The June 2025 OPC newsletter is available!

Categories: 30x30, Climate Change, Coastal Habitats, Dungeness Crab Task Force, Equity and Environmental Justice, Event, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Kelp, Leadership and Staff Updates, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Monthly Newsletter, OPC Meetings, Outreach and Education, Press Releases, Public Comment Opportunity, Report Release, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Strategic Goal 4: Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement, Water Quality

June 13, 2025

Updates from the June 10, 2025 Council Meeting

The meeting marked a major milestone in California’s effort to conserve 30 percent of coastal waters by 2030 (30×30), while advancing key goals across OPC’s Strategic Plan. Council actions supported stronger protections for marine biodiversity, deeper tribal partnership in sea level rise adaptation, enhanced enforcement of marine protected areas (MPAs), and increased community resilience in the face of climate change.

Categories: Climate Change, Coastal Habitats, Equity and Environmental Justice, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Leadership and Staff Updates, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia, OPC Meetings, Report Release, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Strategic Goal 4: Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement, Water Quality

June 12, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: California’s Marine Protected Area Network Recognized as International Gold Standard for Marine Conservation

SACRAMENTO – This week, California’s marine protected area network was officially accepted to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, a high-profile international certification that recognizes the most successful examples of biodiversity conservation worldwide. California’s system of marine protected areas, or MPAs, is the first nature network in the world to receive this honor.

Categories: 30x30, Coastal Habitats, Habitats, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Press Releases, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

June 3, 2025

Where Land Meets Sea: Celebrate World Ocean Week in California’s Interconnected State Parks and Marine Protected Areas

World Ocean Week (June 1-8, 2025) is a time to celebrate, explore, and protect our blue planet—and there’s no better place to do that than along California’s coast. Many of our coastal state parks are gateways to marine protected areas […]

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

May 20, 2025

Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – May

The May 2025 OPC newsletter is available!

Categories: Coastal Habitats, Dungeness Crab Task Force, Equity and Environmental Justice, Event, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Leadership and Staff Updates, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Monthly Newsletter, Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia, OPC Meetings, Other Public Meetings, Outreach and Education, Public Comment Opportunity, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Strategic Goal 4: Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement, Water Quality

May 6, 2025

Ocean Protection Council Meeting – June 10, 2025 – Teleconference and Public Forum

The Ocean Protection Council held a hybrid public meeting via teleconference and in a public forum on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. The agenda, meeting materials, summary, and recording are available.

Categories: 30x30, Climate Change, Event, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Marine Protected Areas, OPC Meetings, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Strategic Goal 4: Sustainable Blue Economy, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems, Tribal Engagement, Water Quality