We know marine reserves work—scientists are in agreement that they’re a key tool if we want to conserve and rebuild our ocean habitats and fisheries.  In Oregon, fish populations like rockfish, smelt and salmon are suffering dramatic declines, and we have lost close to 70 percent of our estuaries and wetlands. We need protected areas to turn this around and keep recovery on track. 

Marine reserves are part of a long-term ocean conservation strategy. Recoveries are being seen elsewhere in the world due to better management, but Oregon is still seeing serious losses. We must protect our ocean against future threats with smart protection through marine reserves.  There are numerous examples up and down the West Coast that marine reserves have worked, and will work in Oregon, to restore our ocean to its previous bounty.  

Synopsis of the research findings:

• This study is a groundbreaking assessment on the status of marine fisheries and ecosystems. The two-year study led by Dr. Boris Worm and Dr. Ray Hilborn included an international team of 19 co-authors.

• Steps taken to curb overfishing, including marine protected areas and reserves, gear restrictions and reduced catch are beginning to succeed in five of the ten large marine ecosystems examined.

• According to the authors’ analysis, Alaska and New Zealand have led the world in terms of management success by not waiting until drastic measures are needed to conserve, restore and rebuild marine resources.

• The authors emphasize that a range of management solutions is available to help rebuild fish stocks. They found that a combination of approaches, such as catch quotas and community management coupled with strategically placed marine protected areas and reserves, ocean zoning, selective fishing gear and economic incentives, offer promise for restoring fisheries and ecosystems.

• “Across all regions we are still seeing a troubling trend of increasing stock collapse,” says Worm. “But this paper shows that our oceans are not a lost cause. The encouraging result is that exploitation rate – the ultimate driver of depletion and collapse – is decreasing in half of the ten systems we examined in detail. This means that management in those areas is setting the stage for ecological and economic recovery.

• The study is good news for several regions in the U.S., Iceland and New Zealand. “These highly managed ecosystems are improving” says Hilborn. “Yet there is still a long way to go: of all fish stocks that we examined sixty-three percent remained below target and still needed to be rebuilt.”

• “We know that more fish can be harvested with less fishing effort and less impact on the environment, if we first slow down and allow overfished populations to rebuild,” says coauthor Jeremy Collie from the University of Rhode Island. “Scientists and managers in places as different as Iceland and Kenya have been able to reduce overfishing and rebuild fish populations despite serious challenges.”

• While the study suggests that these tools have long-term benefits, they also come with short term costs to fishers. “Some places have chosen to end overfishing,” says Trevor Branch, a co-author from the University of Washington. “That choice can be painful for fishermen in the short term, but in the long term it benefits fish, fishermen, and our ocean ecosystems as a whole.”

The new version of Google Earth allows people to explore the ocean virtually and opens endless possibilities for education, discovery and, in turn, the wise management of our marine resources. Google Earth contains photos, video and information from more than 4,500 marine protected areas worldwide, including encouraging results from reserves in California.

In light of the near collapse of rockfish and other fisheries in Oregon and neighboring states, more knowledge can only benefit Oregon’s coastal communities by helping us prevent mistakes and plan for the future.

To access Google Ocean, click here. Once there, click on the blue Download Google Earth 5.0 button.
 

These reserves--by protecting habitat--boost the abundance, size and reproduction of the marine inhabitants, allow for the recovery of depleted populations of fished species that live in the reserves, permit the movement of animals from reserves to surrounding fished waters,  provide ecosystem services and places to provide baseline information and provide insurance against environmental or management uncertainty.

As Dr. Jane Lubchenco, formerly of Oregon State University and now head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, a nationally-recognized expert on ocean issues, states, “One specific tool stands out as effective, long-lasting and useful in helping to achieve better protection for ocean ecosystems and wildlife:  marine reserves.”

In August of 2002, the Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) adopted a recommendation to the Governor supporting a linked system of marine reserves in Oregon.  In December, Governor Kitzhaber endorsed their recommendation and directed them to begin a two-phase process to implement the recommendation.  In 2003, legislation passed which changed the membership of OPAC.  The reconstituted OPAC began June 2005.   Governor Kulongoski provided the new OPAC with clear direction to move forward on marine reserves immediately.  However, they did not begin to deal with the issue until a year later and it wasn't until the Governor issued an Executive Order and directed the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to represent his office and provide staff support that any progress was made.  In the fall of 2008, OPAC recommended, and the Governor approved, establishing two marine reserves as pilot projects (Redfish Rocks near Port Orford and Otter Rock near Depoe Bay) and evaluating four additional sites.   The others include Cape Falcon (MR portion only), Cascade Head (excluding the MPA portion, and shrinking the southern boundary to Road’s End), Cape Perpetua (MR portion only) and a new effort for further consideration in the Cape Arago Area.  Unfortunately, none of these sites were rated as having a high ecological value.  To find (and view maps of) the OPAC recommendations online click here. The 2009 Oregon Legislature approved significant funding as well as allowing foundation and other funding to be used for study and implementation.

There is a wealth of information demonstrating the benefits of marine reserves, from the beautiful and thought-provoking movie "Common Ground," to the the Bush Administration's   U. S. Commission on Oceans Report "An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century."

A study released in Science reveals "a striking downward trend in the diversity of fish in the open ocean. Teasing apart the effects of climate change and fishing over the past 50 years, the authors show a clear link to overfishing and highlight a surprising global pattern of open ocean hotspots.  Protecting these open ocean hotspots in marine reserves or marine parks is crucial."  Click here to to read the article.

Dr. Mark Hixon, Oregon State University, has suggested the following approach for identifying and protecting important ecological areas:

1. Identify key ecological criteria based on species, food web, and habitat protection goals
2. Gather and analyze datasets to identify features meeting key criteria
3. Identify important ecological areas based on overlapping features in datasets
4. Analyze and subdivide each area in detail based on ecological features
5. Identify potential anthropogenic impacts to identified features to the extent information is available
6. Assign specific management objectives to each sub-area to protect identified ecological features
7. Evaluate the entire network based on each objective

Habitat protection objectives may include:

1. Protect benthic invertebrates and groundfish
2. Protect seafloor and biogenic habitat
3. Protect forage base for top predators
4. Protect seabird/mammal colonies from anthropogenic disturbance
5. Improve water quality.
    

Mack Reef I Marine Reserves Proposal