Goal: enhance the ability of the US West Coast marine ecosystems to sustain biodiversity and productivity as pressures and demands on these systems grow
Set up MPAs
Get fisheries to adopt an ecosystems-based approach
Restore health and productivity of the oceans
Support oceans research and discovery that provides the scientific knowledge and information needed for the sound management of the oceans and contributes to expanded human horizons and understanding.
Work focuses on:
Promoting sustainable fishing
Create regional models to improve understanding to inform management
Support basic scientific research and engineering to improve our knowledge and understanding of the oceans
Promote vision of healthy and productive oceans
Three main groups: MBARI, Center for Ocean Solutions, and Aquarium
One highlighted accomplishment is New observing methods and tools advance the state of the art (MBARI, PISCO, COS)
US West Coast Goal, 10 year outcomes
Marine protected area systems in California and Oregon are durable and effectively implemented through strong partnerships. Resource management on Washington’s Pacific Coast is strengthened
West Coast federal fisheries adopt an ecosystem-based approach to management that includes reducing bycatch and habitat damage
Californian fisheries make advancements that include incorporating newly designated MPAs into fishery management. Advancements in state fisheries support both fisheries and fishing communities
Collection of fish stock data
Fisheries and protected area managers are equipped to implement ecosystembased management and adapt to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. The fisheries and marine science infrastructure along the U.S. West Coast is on par with the best in the world. Today, however, despite the research that has been carried out and the monitoring that is in place, effective ecosystem management continues to be constrained by a lack of knowledge and information in a form that can be used by decision makers through a process that has political legitimacy and scientific credibility. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, with support from the Foundation, will provide support to advance science and knowledge. In parallel, we will support efforts to fully integrate an ecosystem approach to management that is increasingly critical as managers confront the need to forecast and adapt to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.
They want to improve the ability to forecast changes in marine species distribution and populations
Non-fishing impacts
Invasive Species
Pollution
Nutrients
Toxics
Hypoxia/Anoxia
Disease
Noise pollution
Changing freshwater flows
Marine debris
Climate change
Ocean acidification
Aquaculture
Shipping
Desalination
Subsea cables
Renewable energy
Coastal and port development
Coastal power plants
Grant making strategy is based on two initiatives:
Advancing Fisheries Management
Need gains in scientific understanding
They are limited in data on fishing stock health
Outcomes they want that are applicable to us:
Modern technologies allow monitoring of fisheries performance and management in real time
Improved understanding of MPAs performance.
Heavily emphasize that we need to know how things interact in the ecosystem so managers can use related effects to manage resources
"Tools that allow analysts and decision makers to account for the ecosystem within existing management regimes remain elusive, although critical to using ecosystem-based approaches. The deeper our understanding and the more developed our analytical tools, the better prepared we are to recognize ecosystem changes that have the potential to affect fish stock distribution, population size, productivity, and fishery yield. Tools for decision makers that forecast future conditions, evaluate alternative management scenarios, and assess economic and ecological trade-offs have been developed, but steps are needed to ensure that they are actually useful for and by fishery managers. "
"We see a significant opportunity for the Foundation to support work to advance coupled oceanographic and ecosystem modeling, with close engagement of fisheries managers, to improve the decision-making capacity of managers. The Foundation’s expertise and networks in West Coast science and policy and our institutional partnership are assets we plan to build on in piloting an ocean modeling forum"
Related to fish data: "data collection systems need updating to meet current technology"
Conserving Marine Habitats
Cross-Cutting Activities: Climate Change and Science
Increased knowledge and understanding
Development of predictive models
Advocacy to ensure knowledge and tools are put to good use
There is a need for science and policy choices to be linked
Scientists have a limited understanding of how the climate is changing, and in particular what those changes will do to the oceans and ecosystems along the California Current (MBARI, PISCO and COS mentioned here).
They want to understand how changes in the ecosystem impacts fisheries stock
Another partner mentioned is the Resources Legacy Fund (RLF)
Vision: Globally we, as a society, make decisions that lead to long-term ocean health. We understand the human-ocean connection and actively make choices to enhance the viability of the ocean—crucial to meeting the needs of people today and tomorrow. We value and steward vital linkages between the ocean, health, and climate resulting in thriving marine ecosystems and vibrant coastal communities.
Mission: The Center for Ocean Solutions works to solve the major problems facing the ocean and prepares leaders to take on these challenges.
Goals:
Probe for root causes of key threats to global ocean health and work in interdisciplinary teams to build enduring solutions.
Crack open impenetrable problems and develop new ways to articulate and visualize them so they can be understood, quantified, modeled, and solved.
Engineer solutions for real-world applications through active engagement with managers, decision-makers, and stakeholders.
Help define and measure ocean health and develop resiliency metrics including thresholds and indicators to support ocean health.
Link knowledge and technology to needs resulting in action by government, non-governmental organizations, foundations, and business.
Equip decision-makers and emerging leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to make decisions that lead to long-term health of the ocean.
Focus areas:
Ecosystem Health Strategies:
By synthesizing and translating the science of ecosystem-based management, we generate new methods to enhance governance and decision making for coasts and the ocean.
Through partnerships and problem solving with experts from multiple communities, (such as research scientists and marine and coastal managers) further develop ways for achieving ecosystem resiliency. This includes the development of practical measures of ecosystem health and identification of important thresholds.
By convening and facilitating exchanges between agency decision-makers and scientists to share the current state of scientific understanding of cumulative impacts and existing practices, create breakthroughs for reducing cumulative impacts.
Through courses and networking opportunities, provide leadership development for fisheries managers and policy makers.
Climate Change Strategies:
Through the engagement of both research and decision making communities, advance our collective understanding of the expected impacts on ocean and coastal systems that climate change will produce.
Using social science research methodologies, we explore the efficacy of communications techniques around climate change.
By convening the brightest minds across multiple disciplines (such as paleontologists, oceanographers, marine ecologists, social scientists), understand big shifts and discern the potential for natural systems to adapt in the face of climate change.
Through the deployment of new technologies, measure and effectively report change in the nearshore coastal ocean.
Land-Sea Interaction Strategies:
By working in parallel with federal and state laboratories, prove the viability of new technologies and methods.
Through convening working groups, look at critical issues such as deepwater and anthropogenic coastal hypoxia.
Metrics of success
1-3 Years:
Build and secure strong relationships across disciplines, geographies, and decision-makers.
Achieve recognition as a resource for trusted, non-partisan information and problem solving.
Apply research-based approaches and methods for exploring problems, root causes, and collaborative problem-solving.
Share findings and solutions and demonstrate their application with managers and decision-makers through white papers, articles, “how to” guides, presentations, professional and academic journals, and through direct engagement.
Advance leadership skills for up-and-coming and established decision-makers.
3+ Years:
Sustained engagement by key partners including government, NGOs, foundations and business.
Uptake of recommendations on how to apply ecological and social science advancements to current decision making.
Test and implement the new approaches and methods for solving problems.
Based on key learnings from COS engagements, approaches, etc., continue to develop and apply new ways to work and innovate.
Apply new models for leadership development and incorporate successful existing models as integral components of COS projects.
Advance policies that represent the vital linkages between ocean and human health and climate.