Lessons Learned from Pillar Point Tidepool Stewards

October, 2022

The Pillar Point Tidepool Stewards program is an initiative started in February 2022 to address the harmful increase in unsustainable harvesting practices observed at the Pillar Point reef near Half Moon Bay, California. Pillar Point reef is a mixed-use area that is open to collecting (only protected by Fish and Game Regulations) on the south side of the reef and protected by California marine protected areas (MPAs) on the North side. The program was funded by a grant to the San Mateo MPA Collaborative, part of the MPA Collaborative Network, made through the Sustaining California’s Ocean program of Resources Legacy Fund. The California Academy of Sciences served as the collaborative’s fiscal sponsor. This document explains how the program was designed and implemented, and the lessons we learned that could be applied to future stewardship programs in other locations.