Quantifying Movements and Habitat Use To Design Better Marine Protected Areas

Implementation of the California Marine Life Protection Act has posed several challenges to managers including, 1) lack of essential biological data needed to convince shareholders of the importance and future efficacy of California MPAs, and 2) lack of education programs needed to convey existing science to the public.  Quite often the science that is available and used in making management decisions regarding MPAs is not interpretable by the general public.  For example, by better understanding the movement patterns, home range sizes, and habitat use of economically important marine fishes and invertebrates, resource managers can better design Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to meet management goals.  In addition, modern tools used for studying movement patterns of fishes and invertebrates, coupled with the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), provide an excellent vehicle to interest and educate the public about how we can answer important questions needed to improve management and gain shareholder buy-in.  A talk aimed at the general public given by Dr. Lowe about his research was the basis of three different outreach efforts by COSEE-West to teach educators about MPAs and the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA).