SOME MPA INITIATIVES
     CURRENT RESEARCH
     LITERATURE REVIEW

SOME MPA INITIATIVES

	Through research and planning, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has been developing and planning for a science-based MPA network. For more information, please refer to an article in their online magazine Fish & Wildlife Science and a recent article on a scientific approach to designing a MPA network in Puget Sound in the 46th issue of Puget Sound Notes. In 2002, three of five new Puget Sound MPAs proposed by WDFW were approved. These reserves, a marine conservation area at Keystone off Whidbey Island and new marine preserves at Zee's Reef off Fox Island near Gig Harbor and at Admiralty Head off Whidbey Island, are for enhancement of fish populations that depend on rocky reef habitats as adults (rockfishes, greenlings, sculpins, etc.). For more information, visit the WDFW website.
	Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the steward of about 2.5 million acres of state-owned aquatic lands. They are in the process of developing a statewide program for aquatic reserves and are working to establish management goals to preserve these areas. For more information regarding DNR's aquatic reserves program, visit their Website.
	One of the performance benchmarks developed as a measurable goal for the Northwest Straits Commission and the seven county marine resource committees (MRCs) is the development of a scientifically-based network of Marine Protected Areas. The San Juan County MRC has taken a lead role in this by working with the county government to establish eight voluntary "no-take" bottomfish recovery zones. Skagit County's Marine Resources Committee has proposed six areas as designated no-fishing zones to help recover depleted bottom fish populations.
	The Puget Sound Action Team has created and is overseeing a MPA coordination group made up of representatives from multiple state and federal agencies, First Nations, universities, and non-governmental organizations. The goal of this group is to collectively address the issues surrounding MPAs in Washington's Inland Waters. PSAT also has a MPA web site and the 46th issue of their Puget Sound Notes has some excellent information on MPAs in Washington's Inland Waters.
	People For Puget Sound, Georgia Strait Alliance, and numerous non-governmental groups are partnering with local governments to develop a transboundary MPA called the Orca Pass International Stewardship Area, which will connect the Canadian Southern Gulf Islands and the U.S. San Juan Islands. To find out more about this initiative, please see the MEHP Resource Directory for links to web sites for these organizations.
	Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), (a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation) and the University of Washington's School of Marine Affairs produce a MPA newsletter.
	Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, in the Pacific Region has focused on three areas related to the development of MPAs. They include contributing to the production of a joint federal-provincial MPA strategy document, testing components of the strategy by proposing four candidate MPAs, and taking part in the Central Coast Land and Coastal Resource Management Planning process. More information on these three areas is available from their web site.
	Since 1998, the Living Oceans Society has been designing a science-based network of marine protected areas for the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. Volumes 1 and 2 of a three volume series describing their MPA selection analysis are now available on line.
	The Canadian federal government has announced plans to establish a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA), a type of MPA, in the southern Strait of Georgia. This is part of the government's commitment to create 5 new NMCAs. The NMCA model calls for large zoned areas that would include highly protected core areas, but allow for other activities, such as sustainable fishing, in other zones. For more information see the Parks Canada website.

CURRENT RESEARCH
This 6-page Word document lists the current research projects pertaining to MPAs in the Puget Sound and Georgia Basin listed by contact person.

LITERATURE REVIEW
References to past articles about MPAs found in both gray and peer-reviewed literature. Some articles are available for download in PDF format.