NFCC Sponsors Panel at AFS in Anchorage

What have we learned from a decade or more experience with marine protected areas? Expert panelists will share their most useful experiences about science, fishery management, process planning, public policy, stakeholder participation and monitoring of the effects of marine protected areas at an NFCC symposium in September.

The meeting takes place at the annual conference of the American Fisheries Society in Anchorage, Alaska on September 15. The AFS Conference theme this year is Creating a Fisheries Mosaic: Connections Across Jurisdictions, Disciplines, and Cultures. All sessions are at the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage.

NFCC’s mission has been to create venues for disparate voices to come together for dialogue and creative problem-solving; the symposium is another opportunity for exchanging information and opinion on a topic that is highly visible, sometimes contentious and thoroughly current on the fishery management scene.

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Collaborative Research

Fishermen, managers and conservation advocates on the West Coast are looking for positive results for sustainable fisheries and improved fishery science through efforts at collaborative research.

NFCC has joined a group that aims to coordinate efforts and avoid wasteful repetition: the Ad-Hoc Cooperative Research Committee. Paticipants include federal and state agency representatives, university scientists, SeaGrant educators, and leaders of fishing, community and conservation associations.

They have an ambitious five-year plan that includes actions such as seeking funds for collaborative research in Washington , Oregon and California; informing scientists, fishermen and fishery managers about the value of collaborative research; providing tools, education and logistical assistance to help individuals get involved.

Pacific Marine Conservation Council, one of the members of the committee, has developed Fish Research West, a website that includes opportunities, links, and perspectives on cooperative research projects. PMCC maintains the site with assistance from Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.

MPA Lessons Learned Report Now Available Online

The final report on a review of six processes that designated marine protected areas can be downloaded from the National MPA Center’s site.

The report, Lessons Learned from Recent Marine Protected Area Designations in the United States, summarizes strengths and weaknesses and provides recommendations for future MPA planning efforts. NFCC led the team of researchers and writers that produced a report on lessons learned from the California Marine Life Protection Act and designations in the San Juan Islands, Channel Islands, Delaware Bay, Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico.

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