Our Blog
How California’s sea stars are evolving past a devastating pandemic
In 2012, environmental systems graduate student Lauren Schiebelhut was collecting DNA from ochre sea stars living along the Northern California coast—part of an effort to study genetic diversity in various marine species that serve as indicators of habitat health. She...
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area
Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) lies deep within scenic, half moon-shaped Monterey Bay, where dark mysteries lure scientists and anglers alike. The SMCA encompasses a side branch of the Monterey Submarine Canyon, one of the deepest submarine...
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area and Blue Cavern Offshore State Marine Conservation Area
Just twenty miles off the coast of Los Angeles, Santa Catalina Island is home to about 4,000 people and nine marine protected areas (MPAs), including Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) and Blue Cavern Offshore SMCA. Protected from strong winds...
MPA Collaborative Network Leadership Workshop and the Trident ROV
**This blog entry orginally appeared on the website oceanspaces.org.** This March Co-chair for the Golden Gate MPA Collaborative Paul Hobi and I attended the statewide MPA collaborative network workshop. This network of 14...
MPA Collaborative Small Grants Projects
Collaborative Project(s) Project Descriptions Del Norte Expansion of MPA Watch to the North Coast Development of a MPA Tribal Curriculum Expansion of MPA Watch to the North Coast: Conduct human-use surveys to monitor coastal and marine resource use in sites in Del...
Large-scale impacts of sea star wasting disease (SSWD) on intertidal sea stars and implications for recovery.
Miner, C.M., J.L. Burnaford, R.F. Ambrose, L. Antrim, H. Bohlmann, C.A. Blanchette, J.M. Engle, S.C. Fradkin, R. Gaddam, C.D.G. Harley, B.G. Miner, S.N. Murray, J.R. Smith, S.G. Whitaker, P.T. Raimondi. 2018. PLOS ONE 13(3): e0192870
Volunteer for Native Oyster Restoration in Richardson Bay!
**This blog entry orginally appeared on the website oceanspaces.org.**/p> Come help the Smithsonian and the Audubon Center remove an invasive predator from Richardson Bay!Invasive Atlantic oyster drill snails are hurting the recovery of Olympia oysters, the only...
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve
The northward path across the Golden Gate Bridge leads away from the bustle of the Bay Area, past the headlands and rolling hills of Marin, to the windy, wild coastline of Sonoma County. Here, the rocky landscape includes steep sea cliffs, pocket beaches and coves,...
A hunt for the invasive dark unicorn snail shows UCI students how climate change is altering Crystal Cove tide pools
Much of climate change research is focused on the big problems. Models forecast how quickly polar ice caps are melting in the Arctic and whether rising sea levels might drown entire islands in the South Pacific.
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve and State Marine Conservation Area
The idyllic shoreline of Laguna Beach is made up of rocky headlands with towering cliffs, sandy beaches and a myriad of tide pools teeming with life. It is also home to one of the largest coastal “no-take” marine protected areas (MPAs) in southern California. Located...
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Van Damme State Marine Conservation Area
Located on the northern California coast just south of the town of Mendocino, Van Damme State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) encompasses a small, protected bay sheltered from north winds and large ocean swell. The bay is popular with freedivers, kayakers, scuba...
Many Thanks to the North Coast Ocean Community!
**This blog entry orginally appeared on the website oceanspaces.org.**/p> As the North Coast MPA baseline monitoring period is nearing completion, we wanted to extend our thanks to the many individuals and organizations involved in this comprehensive multi-year effort...