CCFRP

 

MLPA Baseline Monitoring

The California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program

(CCFRP) participates in the baseline monitoring effort of the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA).

CCFRP is in the fourth year of monitoring 3 Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in collaboration with the Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel industry in Port San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Monterey and Half Moon Bay. Over the past two years, the effort has expanded to include commercial fishermen as well.

The protocols

for the monitoring effort were developed collaboratively through a series of scoping meetings that included fishermen, academic scientists, and DFG and NOAA scientists and resource managers.

From those meetings we designed a study that uniquely utilizes the knowledge and expertise of fishermen and skippers within a standardized experimental framework ensuring that the data can be utilized for both MPA and stock assessment purposes.

The study

includes a controlled catch-and- release program made possible by a group of dedicated volunteer anglers as well as the captains and crews of the F/V Caroline, Fiesta, Huli Cat, Pacific Horizon and Patriot.

In this study, fish are caught, tagged and carefully released to avoid trauma. An example of a tag is shown below at left and the Git-R-Down release device is shown below at right.