Heal the Bay Blog

Category: Marine Protected Areas

Heal the Bay’s 2023 Legislative Wrap-up Guide

12.18.2023 | Emily Parker

Heal the Bay closely monitors the progress of bills that impact California’s ecosystems and communities each legislative calendar year, and this season has been a rollercoaster ride ranging from game-changing victories in water conservation to ongoing waste and toxin battles. Let’s take a deep dive into the outcomes of key legislation and what it means for healthy, safe, clean water.

Major Wins led by Heal the Bay for Water & Biodiversity

When Heal the Bay sponsors a bill, we take on the responsibility of introducing, advocating for, and shepherding a proposed new law through the legislative process. This year, Heal the Bay co-sponsored two bills that were signed into law.

Assembly Bill 1572 (Friedman): Irrigation of Non-functional Turf, co-sponsored by Heal the Bay, NRDC, and Metropolitan Water District

a.k.a the “lawn-be-gone” solution for a more water equitable and climate resilient California.

Heal the Bay sponsored AB 1572 which is all about using water more efficiently. The bill bans the use of drinking water to irrigate “non-functional turf” on government and commercial properties. See a patch of grass and wondering if it’s non-functional turf? If the only time a person walks on the grass is to mow it, it’s probably non-functional turf. This bill doesn’t impact landscapes around people’s homes, but it does mean no more watering fancy lawns with precious drinking water at public agencies, restaurants, and corporate campuses. When it goes into effect, AB 1572 is expected to save the same amount of water 780,000 households use in a year! Even major water suppliers supported it. This bill is a huge win toward a more sustainable and water-efficient California. While the bill excludes single-family residential lawns, everyone is encouraged to do their part. To learn about how you can transform your landscape, check out LA Department of Water and Power and Metropolitan Water District’s turf replacement programs.

Assembly Bill 1611 (Lowenthal): Fishing Violations, co-sponsored by Heal the Bay and Resources Legacy Fund

a.k.a the “win-win” for fish and anglers.

AB 1611 simplifies and clarifies fishing regulations in California by allowing Fish and Game wardens to cite certain administrative commercial fishing violations as either a misdemeanor or an infraction. This change ensures that wild fishery enforcement is more equitable.

This smart approach ensures that the punishment fits the crime by striking a balance between fairness and strong governance. This bill had strong backing from fishery regulatory agencies and its passing means California is taking essential steps to safeguard its fisheries and continue its tradition of leading in environmental protection. It’s a win-win for both nature and the community.

Want to help Heal the Bay monitor our precious Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)? Become an MPA Watch Volunteer and learn how to identify and report violations – the first step to becoming an MPA Watch volunteer is to attend our next Volunteer Orientation on January 11, 2024, at 6 PM (Heal the Bay Aquarium).

Want to learn more about the bills Heal the Bay helped sponsor? 🔴 WATCH our 2023 Legislative Wins Break-Down on Instagram.

Other Exciting Legislative Wins

Senate Bill 244 (Eggman): Right to Repair

a.k.a “Don’t waste it, fix it”.

Dubbed the “Right to Repair Act”, the passage of SB 244 will have a powerful impact on reducing electronic waste by giving consumers more accessibility to the parts and pieces needed to fix electronics and appliances. Beginning July 1, 2024, manufacturers will have to provide you, their customer, with documentation, parts, and tools for repairs, even if the warranty has expired. This law is all about making repairs more accessible, reducing waste, and promoting a fair marketplace for fixes. Heal the Bay supported this bill through our Clean Seas Lobbying Coalition.

Tough Losses: Vetoed Bills

Not every bill makes it through the process, Governor Newsom vetoed several bills that Heal the Bay would have preferred to see signed into law:

Assembly Bill 1628 (McKinnor): Microfiber Filtration

a.k.a “Microfiber filters could make massive impacts on the environment”.

AB 1628 was focused on microfiber pollution, a major contributor to microplastic pollution around the globe. It would have required every new washing machine sold in the State, whether for homes or industrial use, to come with a special microfiber filter. This filter is like a lint trap that catches tiny microfibers as small as 100 micrometers, preventing them from getting into our environment. The bill was vetoed by Governor Newsom who expressed concerns about increased costs to consumers and instead suggested the exploration of alternative, incentive-based approaches. Heal the Bay does not agree with his false narrative, and, in fact, bill analysis still favors a legislative approach showing that increased costs would have actually been minimal for both consumers and manufacturers.

Assembly Bill 1423 (Schiavo): PFAS in Artificial Turf

a.k.a A “turf” loss for the environment.

AB 1423 would have prevented California public entities, schools, and certain colleges from buying or installing artificial turf or synthetic surfaces containing harmful PFAS chemicals (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), commonly called “forever chemicals,” which are highly toxic compounds persistent in the environment and linked to a myriad of public health concerns. The bill would have also encouraged manufacturers to choose safer alternatives when replacing PFAS in these surfaces. Unfortunately, Governor Newsom vetoed this bill citing a lack of regulatory oversight to enforce the ban. Heal the Bay continues to seek opportunities to educate the public about the dangers of PFAS and encourage alternatives wherever possible.

It’s Not Over Yet: Bills to Revisit

While some bills came out on top and others met their downfall this year, a few were set on a two-year track that may potentially be reintroduced in 2024 (also known as part two of the two-year legislative session). Below are some standout bills that Heal the Bay is excited to work on when they arise again:

Assembly Bill 1290 (Rivas): Plastic Additives

AB 1290 sought to adopt new plastic regulations by putting restrictions on certain plastic products and additives. The bill aimed to ban making, selling, offering for sale, or distributing especially toxic items like colored plastic bottles and plastic packaging with toxic substances in California. These restricted substances include colorants that make plastic hard to recycle, additives that make plastic break down into tiny pieces, and harmful PFAS chemicals. This bill was extended to a 2-year bill and Heal the Bay continues to support its passage.

Senate Bill 552 (Newman): Reuse for Dine-In

SB 552 was a tough loss for Heal the Bay and our partners along with bill sponsors at the Clean Seas Coalition. This bill would have prohibited food facilities from providing a dine-in customer with any single-use foodware accessory or single-use food packaging. LA County recently passed a similar law thanks to Heal the Bay and Reusable LA, and we know just how effective this law would be at reducing harmful single-use plastic waste from the source. Unfortunately, thanks to logistical challenges, this bill never really took off this year, but Heal the Bay is really excited to push even harder for this legislation next year.

For a great summary of outcomes on climate and other environmental bills, check out the recap from LA Times reporter, Sammy Roth.

While this year was peppered with heartbreaks and an unusually high number of bill vetoes, Heal the Bay is still celebrating our wins and looking forward to next year. From equitable fishing regulation to water conservation and waste reduction, our state is at the forefront of safeguarding our precious ecosystems. As we move forward, Heal the Bay will continue to fight for healthy, safe, clean water for all. Keep following along to stay in the know and learn how you can help us support the next round of California environmental bills!

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The Marine Life Protection Act is A Success: Takeaways from the 2023 MPA Decadal Review

06.08.2023 | Emily Parker

California California Coast Marine Protected Areas News

After a decade of volunteer surveys and scientific review, we now know that Marine Protected Areas are working, but inclusivity and climate resiliency must be considered to ensure the full benefits of these precious sanctuaries for all.

Nearly 24 years ago, the state of California passed the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), forever changing the course of marine conservation in our coastal state. Following an arduous community centered process, California established a globally recognized network of 124 marine protected areas, or MPAs. These MPAs, which run up and down our nearly 1,000-mile coastline in varying degrees of protection, limit certain consumptive human behaviors like fishing and collecting tidepool animals in an effort to protect and restore biodiversity and coastal resources.

(Above) Heal the Bay Marine Protected Area Watch Volunteers completing MPA Survey Training at Point Dume, California.

After California instituted these Marine Protected Areas, there was an immediate need to establish a successful management program and a system to refine or adapt MPA Network over time based on both ecosystem and human data. The state built an adaptive management program, requiring a review of our MPA network every ten years.

Now, a decade after the final MPA was put into place, the very first California MPA Decadal Management Review (DMR) is underway. Led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California Fish and Game Commission (FGC), this review process looks at the four managing pillars of MPAs: research and monitoring, education and outreach, policy and permitting, and enforcement and compliance. For more info on the DMR process, check out our blog from last year.

How is this highly anticipated Decadal Management Review going? In mid-March, Heal the Bay’s MPA team traveled to Monterey along with activists, researchers, Tribal members, Tribal elders, enforcement officers, anglers, and community members to attend three days of MPA management review. We heard from MPA managers, Fish and Game Commissioners, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and many others through a series of meetings, panels, and open forums.

Here are our top four take-aways from California’s FIRST MPA Decadal Review thus far:

California’s MPAs are working.
Long-term monitoring shows that, at least for highly fished species in certain areas, MPAs are supporting larger and more abundant fish compared to reference sites that are not protected. Further, modeling across the central coast showed connectivity and spillover, indicating that MPAs are behaving as designed (i.e., as a network) and that benefits are seen even outside and across MPAs. While there is still much more research to be done, these initial results are incredibly promising, and we expect these positive outcomes to increase with time.
Indigenous people must be elevated to MPA leadership positions.
The Indigenous nations of our coastline have been and continue to be the original stewards of this land. They have cared for coastal ecosystems since time immemorial and their knowledge and perspectives are necessary components in managing and evaluating our MPAs. Unfortunately, Indigenous nations and people were largely excluded from the original MPA designation process. Heal the Bay supports the requests made by Tribal members for expanded access to the coastline and to be elevated to positions of leadership within the MPA management system. Access to the coast and all it has to offer must be expanded for all Indigenous people.
Future MPA management MUST prioritize climate resiliency.
We are in the midst of unprecedented climate disruption, not only on land but in our marine and coastal ecosystems. California’s network of MPAs presents a unique opportunity to evaluate the climate resiliency potential of MPAs against climate stressors like increased temperature, increased acidity, rising sea levels, changing tides and storm surges, increased erosion, and decreased oxygen. Heal the Bay would like to see the future of MPA monitoring include climate resilience metrics.
MPA monitoring and research needs to broaden in scope.
While the level of MPA research that has been conducted over the past 10 years is nothing short of impressive, there are areas where the state can do so much more. For example, long-term monitoring of MPAs should utilize innovative research tools like environmental DNA (eDNA) to measure biodiversity trends in space and time. Analysis of biological data must be expanded to compare the different types of MPAs in the network to assess how effective different levels of protection are. Finally, there are opportunities and a need to better analyze compliance, or how well people are following MPA regulations, to give us the full picture of MPA effectiveness. Heal the Bay is advocating for these expanded monitoring priorities to improve our understanding and management of MPAs overall.

(Above) Emily Parker, Coastal and Marine Scientist, and Crystal Barajas, Senior Community Science & Outreach Coordinator, represented Heal the Bay at the March 2023 Decadal Management Review Forum in Monterey, California.

At the meetings in Monterey, Heal the Bay advocated for the inclusion of Indigenous leadership, the prioritization of climate resiliency, and the broadening of MPA research in an oral testimony to the FGC Marine Resources Committee and submitted these suggestions via a written comment letter. We will continue this advocacy in future FGC meetings and as we meet with agencies, collaborate with partners and stakeholders, and engage the public.

California’s network of MPAs is still young. It will take more time and improved protection and management to see the maximum benefit for biodiversity. To see those benefits, the MPA network must remain intact and protections must, at the very least, remain as strong as they currently are. This first glimpse of our MPA,s success is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to see what 10 more years of MPAs bring.

Interested in diving headfirst into the Decadal Management Review? Read the official report here.

Looking to get involved in MPA research? Join Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch team to help us collect valuable human activity data in and around MPAs!

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ESTUARIES AND EQUITABLE ACCESS

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Equitable Beach Access Depends on Peer-reviewed Science

08.19.2022 | Jasmine Islas

California Coast Marine Protected Areas

MPA Watch Reflections: Jasmine Islas spent her Spring 2022 MPA Watch Internship with Heal the Bay exploring the rabbit hole of factors impacting skewed representation at Los Angeles beaches. The dead end she arrived at points to important action items for the science community.

LIVING IN CALIFORNIA, I have been spoiled with the beauty and nature that it has. I was lucky that my family wanted to make sure that I relished the different experiences Southern California had to offer. Some of my earliest and fondest memories come from spending my day at the beach. The distance from where we lived to the beach that we frequented was about an hour, so we’d dedicate the entire day to staying there, ending the night with a bonfire. As I grew older, we went to the beach less and less because I was made aware of how far away it was and how much was spent to have a beach day. I felt guilty about how oblivious I was about how much my working-class family was spending so that my sister and I could have fun in the sun.

My visits to the beach led to a passion for marine science, which prompted me to pursue a degree in Biology. Coming from a working-class Hispanic household, I was spoiled and sheltered from what working in marine science would look like. I just assumed that when I would start networking and meeting people in the field I would see more people that looked like me, people with a brown complexion. What I have now come to realize is that the marine science community is dominated by my white counterparts, which caught me off guard. I was perplexed and wondered why that was.

This led me to question my choices in pursuing this field of study. I felt like I wouldn’t fit in or flourish as a scientist. I went down a rabbit hole of questions and research to try and see what the cause of this disconnect was. I ask myself what the root of this issue is.

To determine the reason for the lack of diversity in marine science, I thought it would be helpful to figure out the demographic of people coming to beaches in LA County. I believe that those who have easy access to beaches are more likely to care about coastal issues enough to pursue careers in them. At first glance, this seemed like it would be an easy question to answer with the help of a little research.

To my surprise, there is very little research conducted that focuses on beach access specific to LA County. The exception is a UCLA study called “Access for All; A New Generation’s Challenges on the California Coast” by Jon Christensen and Philip King. In the study, they surveyed 1,146 people that came to SoCal beaches over the summer of 2016. The beaches they focused on were located in Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and Orange County. While the study wasn’t centralized around LA county beaches, their findings were intriguing.

The scientists in this study collected demographic data including the average annual income of beachgoers and how frequently people visited the beach. The beaches with more affordable accommodations had a greater diversity of visitors in comparison to other neighboring beaches in Southern California. Those with a median household incomes greater than $60,000 are likely to come to the beach more frequently than households with an income of less than $40,000 a year.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that an annual household income of $47,850 for 1 person living in Los Angeles County is considered low income. While these low income figures were published in 2011, it’s worth mentioning because that would mean that the people who come to the beach more often are outside that margin. This disproportionately impacts both Latino and African American communities in Los Angeles County.

Going to the beach isn’t affordable for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) communities. The Access for All study found that they face barriers of cost, lack of parking, and lack of public transportation. This is in addition to the intangible barriers that they face such as fear of judgment and discrimination when coming to the beach.

So, what now?

After seeing the absolute lack of published research into beach access, beach equity, and the barriers therein, I want everyone to know about this serious knowledge gap that needs to be filled to make change. Research into these topics IS science and the following questions CAN be sufficiently answered through rigorous, trustworthy, and peer-reviewed scientific investigation:

What science-based methods remove barriers to beach inclusivity and access?
What societal changes are needed to facilitate BIPOC individual interactions with our coastal ecosystems?
How can marine and ocean work be more accessible to BIPOC communities?

Without tangible evidence from a strong investment in rigorous scientific studies into beach equity, it makes it difficult for better policies to be put in place. It makes it harder for change to occur.

Our oceans face very challenging and complicated global threats that will need diverse minds to mitigate, and diverse support to fund and manage. Our oceans depend on us, and I for one, am eager to see more change makers that look like me, who feel a very real belonging in this role. After all, Dr. Jon Christensen and Dr. Philip King astutely observed during that study, that despite our demographic differences, everyone surveyed essentially had the same basic set of desires.

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By Jasmine Islas. As a Spring 2022 MPA Watch Intern, Jasmine supported Heal the Bay’s Science, Outreach, and Policy teams in the research and observation of marine protected areas (MPAs) through coastal conservation advocacy and fieldwork.

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The Future of California MPAs: Insights from the Experts

01.22.2022 | Emily Parker

California California Coast Marine Protected Areas News

Like a national or state park on land, Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, conserve and protect wildlife and habitats in the ocean. Here in California, we have a unique and science-based network of 124 MPAs all up and down the coastline. This network exemplifies a new kind of MPA science, designed to not only conserve the habitat inside the boundaries of the protected areas, but to enhance the areas in between as well.

The MPA Decadal Review

California’s MPA network has been around since 2012 and, per the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) passed in 1999, this network must be reviewed every 10 years. This year marks the very first Decadal Management Review of California’s MPAs. What does that mean for our network?

We sat down with Tova Handelman, the Senior Marine Protected Areas Program Manager at California’s Ocean Protection Council (and former Heal the Bay staffer) to give us the inside scoop on what’s in store for California’s treasured MPAs.

To get started, California’s MPAs are really special – what makes our network of 124 MPAs different from other MPAs in the United States and around the world?

Most MPAs around the world are designed as individual protected areas: a specific spot on the map that is set aside and conserved. Our MPAs are different; they span the entire California coastline and are ecologically designed as a network. They are meant to interact with each other, connected by the California Current, wildlife migration, and dispersal patterns.

Since California’s MPAs are a statewide network, we can actually manage them as a state. All 124 MPAs are managed to the same degree, unlike MPAs that are managed differently region by region. This allows for more equitable distribution of resources, no matter how remote an MPA may be.

Point Dume is one of 124 stunning Marine Protected Areas in the state that offer safe refuge for ocean inhabitants as well as breath taking views from the land that make up the California Coastline.

The state of California manages our entire MPA system, how exactly does that work?

We use “adaptive management” for our network of MPAs in California, which gives us an opportunity to change how we manage these areas as the ecosystems change over years or decades. What might be working in MPA management now, might not work in the future. It was quite brilliant to include adaptive management in the MLPA and we are already seeing now, with the climate changing so rapidly, how necessary it was.

A variety of information is taken into account when monitoring an MPA. Heal the Bay partnered with scientists like PhD candidate Dr. Zack Gold to study eDNA in protected waters over the past couple years.

A key part of adaptive management is checking in on our MPAs to see how they are working and then adapt management accordingly. Here in California we do that through the Decadal Management Reviews, and the very first one is happening this year. Tell us about this review.

The Decadal Management Review, which was written into the MLPA, is an opportunity for us to use science and monitoring to see what has been going on in MPAs over the past 10 years. Based on the evidence presented, we can determine if there are any ways we can strengthen MPA management to make it more effective.

What does this scientific evidence look like?

The state of California has been funding long term MPA monitoring for a long time, and it all started with baseline data. Researchers went to all different types of ecosystems like sandy beaches, rocky reefs, kelp forests, and estuaries and gathered information to get an idea of what was going on inside and outside MPA boundaries 10 years ago, before the MPAs were put into place. Since then, those same sites have continued to be monitored over time to look at changes and see if anything interesting has happened since the baseline data was collected. In addition to the long-term data sets, we also will be interested in community science, like MPA Watch, to give a broader picture of the human dimension of MPAs [how humans interact with, use, impact, and value these areas]. The review will also include Traditional Ecological Knowledge from Indigenous communities who have been stewards of these lands and waters since time immemorial.

MPA volunteers like Sophia von der Ohe (seen in the picture above) are crucial to the success of the Decadal Review. Over 36161 surveys have been submitted by MPA watch volunteers to date.

How exactly will the review work, and who is involved?

The major players are the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC). The review will start with the gathering and synthesizing of scientific evidence by CDFW – this is happening right now and will continue through the year [and Heal the Bay is helping to contribute evidence and data for this critical step]. As the managing agency of the MPA network, CDFW will present this evidence to the FGC through a report, a presentation at a Commission meeting, and a symposium. This is set to happen in early 2023. As the regulatory body, the FGC will then review the evidence and make the decision if any changes are needed in MPA Management. If they choose to make any changes, they would have to go through a full regulatory process.

What can we expect from this first review? Will the science show major changes? Will there be any big management adjustments like MPAs added/removed or shifting boundaries?

The science might show some changes [like this Channle Islands MPA study showed increased abundance and biodiversity] but we don’t know yet because we are still analyzing that data. These are cold water climates and here, things take a long time to change. So, even though we are reviewing the science every 10 years, and we will see some interesting things, this review isn’t going to definitively show an extremely different landscape from 10 years prior.

We don’t expect any major management adjustments during this first 10-year review, such as border changes, adding new MPAs, or removing current MPAs. If you have heard that this management review is going to determine whether or not we are going to keep our MPA network or not, that is not this case: this review isn’t like a pass-fail test.

What you CAN expect from this review is a very interesting narrative and look back on the past 10 years of MPA management. We will see the amount of effort that was needed to manage our MPAs and interesting ecological data and stories. We will see data on the human dimension, such as community science, socioeconomics, how communities have interacted with their MPAs, and a review of the resources that were put into the network. This review will help to show the international global significance of this network and how other managers are looking to us as an example.

How can folks get involved in the review process?

The state is working to involve all ocean users and MPA stakeholders in the review process. If you are interested in getting involved in the review, you can:

1. Submit comments to CDFW for the review on their webpage

2. Stay informed by signing up for CDFW’s mailing list or learning more on their FAQ page

3. Attend FGC meetings and give a public comment

4. Get involved in the science! Join Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch program or The California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program to help collect important data used for the review

5. Go visit your MPA! We have four gorgeous MPAs here in LA County where you can swim, hang on the beach, surf, whale watch, snorkel, or tidepool!

So, folks, there you have it! All the information you need on California’s 2022 MPA Decadal Management Review. To close, some words of advice from an MPA: Be adaptive, base your decisions in science, protect yourself, get by with a little kelp from your friends, and do your own decadal review!

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Heal the Bay Intern Alerts California Wildlife Center to Rescue Distressed Seal Pup

04.29.2021 | Alex Preso

California Coast Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marine Protected Areas News

Photo credit: Ashlee Malyar, Marine Mammal Volunteer

Heal the Bay MPA Watch intern, Alex Preso, saw a distressed seal pup while conducting beach surveys, and helped it get the care it needed by alerting the California Wildlife Center. Alex shares what happened, plus the “Do’s” and Don’t’s” of helping a marine mammal in distress.

At first I thought it was a piece of driftwood on the beach… it was actually a distressed seal pup.

On Wednesday, March 18, I was taking surveys for Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch Program on El Pescador Beach in Malibu. As I was making my way along the beach, I noticed what looked like a washed-up log in the distance. As I moved closer, I realized that it was actually a small seal. The seal was lying on its back, barely moving, and was thin with wrinkled skin. It looked noticeably uncomfortable and I immediately suspected that something was wrong.

Sometimes a seal pup like this one simply struggles to survive on its own after separating from its mother, but there are also a variety of human impacts that can cause a marine mammal to be in distress.

1) First, plastic debris in the ocean or on beaches poses a significant threat to marine mammals. When ingested, these animals cannot digest the plastic, so it stays in their bodies. This plastic can leach harmful chemicals into their bodies or even block their digestive tract, leading to starvation and malnourishment. Heal the Bay is working to combat this through our plastic pollution and beach cleanup programs. These programs aim not only to help remove plastic from our oceans, but also to keep this harmful marine debris from entering our oceans in the first place.

2) Second, overfishing of important food sources for marine mammals limits available nourishment and puts these animals at risk. Heal the Bay’s sustainable fisheries work aims to maintain healthy fisheries so that these animals have abundant food sources.

3) Third, loss of habitat can endanger marine mammals. Heal the Bay’s MPA program helps to monitor protected areas that are critically important to protecting these habitats, so that these animals have safe places to live, reproduce, and find food.

4) Fourth and finally, poor water quality can cause marine mammals to become sick. Polluted water can cause a variety of health issues for marine mammals, including bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. Heal the Bay’s water quality work aims to prevent harmful bacteria, toxins, and other pollutants from ending up in the ocean and endangering marine life.

Heal the Bay is doing what we can to prevent these threats to marine mammals, but while these issues persist, it is important that we all keep an eye out for stranded marine mammals on our local beaches.

But even if you see a seal on the beach, how can you tell if it is in danger or simply catching some rays?

Many people don’t know how to tell if an animal like this is actually in trouble, let alone what actions to take if it is distressed. When I encountered this young seal, I saw many other people walking along the beach, barely taking notice of the animal.

Here is are some clear signs that a marine mammal is in distress and in need of help:

visible entanglement in trash or fishing gear
visible malnourishment or open wounds
a young pup without an adult nearby
erratic behavior

Fortunately, you don’t need to be an expert to help a seal in need. If you suspect that a marine mammal may be in distress, always call the appropriate rescue hotline. It is better to have the rescue crew come to the beach to find a healthy animal than to leave an animal in distress without help. The numbers to call vary by location and are listed below.

Here are a few things to avoid if you find a distressed marine mammal:

DO NOT touch or approach the animal
DO NOT attempt to return the animal to the water
DO NOT pour water on the animal
DO NOT attempt to move the animal

If you wouldn’t want someone to do it to you while you’re sunbathing on the beach, chances are the animal wouldn’t like it either. Marine mammals intentionally seek out dry land when they are in distress so that they can rest and soak up the sun.

What you should do if you find a distressed marine mammal:

DO stay approximately 50 feet away
DO call the appropriate rescue hotline
DO take a picture of the animal
DO try to pinpoint the animal’s location
DO wait near the animal until the rescue crew arrives

The number for the rescue hotline varies by location, but any of them can connect you to the correct region if you do not have the right number.

For animals found in San Pedro up to Pacific Palisades (including all beaches between them) – call Marine Animal Rescue # 1-800-399–4253 [WHALE]
For animals found in Malibu – call the California Wildlife Center # 310-458–9453 [WILD]
For animals found in Long Beach – call Long Beach Animal Control # 562-570–7387

When you call the hotline, they will ask you to send a photo of the animal as well as its location. Try to be as precise as possible so that they can save time and arrive at the animal directly.

In this instance, I called the Malibu number. Then I waited with the seal for about 30 minutes until the rescue crew arrived at the beach. While waiting, I was careful to keep my distance from the seal and ensured that other passersby did so as well. When the crew arrived, they expertly loaded the seal into a crate and took him back to their facility for rehabilitation.

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Later, I learned that this animal was a 12 week old elephant seal pup that was badly malnourished. He had shrunk back down to his birth weight of about 75 pounds when he should have been closer to 300 pounds. They named him “Yellow” because they used a yellow marker to make an identifying mark on him while in their care.

The California Wildlife Center (CWC) is permitted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide rehabilitative care to seals and sea lions. They will rehabilitate Yellow and help him gain the necessary body weight and skills to better fend for himself before returning him to the wild. All of the animals they rescue stay in their facility temporarily, as their mission is to rehabilitate and return marine mammals to the wild where they belong.

For Yellow, the outlook is bright and he is expected to be released back into the wild in May. This instance just goes to show that a chance encounter on the beach can be the difference between life and death for a marine mammal. It was for Yellow.

Photo credit: Ashlee Malyar, Marine Mammal Volunteer

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Aumento de la pesca y la recolección en Palos Verdes genera preocupación para la salud pública

08.31.2020 | Frankie Orrala

Angler Outreach Program Marine Protected Areas Palos Verdes Peninsula

Foto de Frankie Orrala

En el extremo suroeste del condado de Los Ángeles se encuentra la península de Palos Verdes. Esta área es conocida por su espectacular vista al mar y sus grandes mansiones, pero cerca de la costa hay un área de sedimentos altamente contaminados. El sedimento contaminado se encuentra en el Océano Pacífico a profundidades de 150 pies o más, demasiado profundo para el contacto humano. Sin embargo, los peces que se encuentran en el área de la plataforma Palos Verdes contienen altas concentraciones de DDT y PCB y continúan representando una amenaza para la salud humana y el medio ambiente natural .

Foto de Frankie Orrala

En una visita reciente a Royal Palms, una zona intermareal en la península de Palos Verde, tuve la oportunidad de observar y hablar con pescadores recreativos y de subsistencia. La pandemia del coronavirus parece haber aumentado el número de estos pescadores y recolectores , quizás como fuente alternativa de alimento para sus familias, ingresos alternativos o simplemente un escape recreativo.

La pesca y la recolección son legales en ciertas áreas siempre que se tenga una licencia de pesca y se respeten las regulaciones. Desafortunadamente, también ha habido informes recientes de personas que no siguen las regulaciones, como no tener una licencia, tomar por encima de los límites legales de captura, tomar especies que están fuera de las tallas permitidas o capturar dentro de Áreas Marinas Protegidas (AMP).

Foto de Emily Parker

Cuando está saludable, esta zona intermareal muestra una abundancia de vida, que incluye mejillones, caracoles, erizos de mar, anémonas y peces como garibaldi, percas y señoritas. En este día en particular, hubo grupos de familias con niños disfrutando de la variedad de organismos que se pueden encontrar en estas áreas. También hubo varios pescadores que, cuando se les preguntó si sabían que hay ciertos pescados que la gente no debería comer, respondieron que no, y que estaban allí para pescar y llevarse a casa lo que pescaran.

A pesar de los esfuerzos concertados del Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de California y organizaciones locales como Heal the Bay, LA Waterkeeper y USC Sea Grant, todavía parece haber un obstáculo para hacer llegar información a estos pescadores, muchos de los cuales son personas de color o de quien el inglés parece ser su segundo idioma. Las comunidades de color tienden a ser las más afectadas por la contaminación y los impactos en la salud del COVID-19. Durante mi tiempo allí, compartí información con los pescadores sobre qué peces son seguros para comer y cuáles no.

Entonces, ¿qué peces son seguros?

Qué pescado es seguro para comer depende del área de donde proviene el pescado . Las áreas de pesca en la zona roja (lo que significa niveles más altos de contaminación) incluyen la playa de Santa Mónica al sur del muelle de Santa Mónica hasta el muelle de Seal Beach en el condado de Orange, incluida la península de Palos Verdes. Algunas áreas de pesca en la zona amarilla incluyen los muelles en Ventura, Malibu, Huntington Beach y San Mateo Point. El programa educacional pesquero de Heal the Bay ha educado a miles de pescadores de muelle sobre la contaminación de los peces en el sur de California y tuve la oportunidad de educar a pescadores de la costa en la península de Palos Verdes durante esta pandemia también.

El Programa Educacional Pesquero se ha dirigido específicamente a los pescadores de muelle para la educación porque los muelles concentran a los pescadores más vulnerables a la contaminación, los pescadores de subsistencia, dado que no se requieren licencias de pesca para la pesca en los muelles. Sin embargo, con la pandemia que obliga al cierre de los muelles, las personas buscan mantenerse físicamente distanciadas y alejadas de los muelles reabiertos, y las dificultades económicas, es posible que debamos reconsiderar nuestro programa educacional para asegurarnos de que los Angelinos nos mantenemos sanos y bien informado sobre la contaminación de peces.

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Increase in Angling and Harvesting in Palos Verdes Sparks Public Health Concern

08.31.2020 | Frankie Orrala

Angler Outreach Program Marine Protected Areas Palos Verdes Peninsula

Photo by Frankie Orrala

In the far southwest of Los Angeles County is the Palos Verde Peninsula. This area is known for its spectacular ocean views and high-priced mansions, but just offshore is an area of highly contaminated sediment. The contaminated sediment lies in the Pacific Ocean at depths of 150 ft. or greater, too deep for human contact. However, the fish found in the Palos Verdes Shelf area contain high concentrations of DDT and PCBs and continue to pose a threat to human health and the natural environment.

Photo by Frankie Orrala

On a recent visit to Royal Palms, an intertidal zone on the Palos Verde Peninsula, I had the opportunity to observe and talk with recreational and subsistence anglers. The coronavirus pandemic seems to have increased the number of these anglers and harvesters, perhaps as they look for an alternative food source for their families, alternative revenue during difficult financial times, or just a recreational escape.

Fishing and collecting are legal in certain areas as long a fishing license is in possession and regulations are respected. Unfortunately, there have also been recent reports of people not following the regulations, such as not having a license, taking above legal bag limits, taking species that are off-limits, or collecting and harvesting in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are off-limits for this type of activity. While a few of the anglers I spoke with had licenses, knew the rules, and knew which species and how many or the sizes they could take, this doesn’t seem to be the case across the board.

Photo by Emily Parker

When healthy, this intertidal zone displays an abundance of life, including mussels, snails, sea urchins, anemones, and fish such as garibaldi, perch, and señoritas. On this particular day, there were groups of families with children enjoying the variety of organisms that can be found in these areas. There were also several anglers who, when asked if they were aware that there are certain fish that people should not eat, they replied no, and that they were there to fish and take home whatever they caught.

Despite concerted efforts from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and local organizations like Heal the Bay, LA Waterkeeper, and USC Sea Grant, there still seems to be a hurdle in getting information to these anglers, many of whom are people of color or for whom English seems to be their second language. Communities of color tend to be the most impacted by pollution as well as the health impacts of COVID-19. During my time there I shared information with the anglers on which fish are safe to eat and which are not.

So, What Fish Are Safe?

What fish are safe to eat depends on the area your fish is coming from. Fishing areas in the red zone, (meaning higher levels of contamination) include Santa Monica beach south of Santa Monica Pier to Seal Beach Pier in Orange County including the Palos Verde Peninsula. Some fishing areas in the yellow zone include the piers in Ventura, Malibu, Huntington Beach and San Mateo Point. Heal the Bay’s Angler Outreach Program has educated thousands of pier anglers about fish contamination in Southern California and I was able to have the opportunity to educate shoreline anglers on the Palos Verdes Peninsula during this pandemic as well.

The Angler Outreach Program has specifically targeted pier anglers for education because piers concentrate the most pollution-vulnerable anglers, namely subsistence anglers given that fishing licenses are not required for pier fishing. However, with the pandemic forcing the closure of piers, with people looking to stay physically distanced and away from re-opened piers, and economic hardship, we may need to re-think our outreach to make sure we are keeping Angelenos healthy and well-informed about contaminated fish.

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World Oceans Day 2020: Take Action

06.08.2020 | Heal the Bay

Climate Change Marine Protected Areas Plastic Pollution Take Action

Take Action for Our Ocean

Our ocean needs our help—from fighting for environmental justice and urgently addressing the climate crisis that impacts People of Color and low-income communities at disproportionate levels, to blocking a new federal attack on Marine Protected Areas that dampens progress for wildlife biodiversity, to stopping fossil fuel development and single-use plastic manufacturing that pollute our water, air, soil, and bodies. There is so much work to do.

Together, we need to tune in to the waves to recognize how much our ocean provides for us and raise awareness about our individual and collective duties to protect safe and healthy water for all people and marine life.

Support Ballot Initiative Against Plastic Waste

We have a chance to bring a groundbreaking plastic pollution reduction act directly to voters on the 2022 ballot in California, but to get it there we need signatures from people like you.

The California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act is on track to qualify for the statewide 2022 ballot thanks to signatures from hundreds of thousands of Californians. This act would require a 25% source reduction of single-use plastics by 2030 AND hold Big Plastic financially accountable for their pollution.

Help us get this on the ballot and up for a vote: Print. Sign. Mail. Done.

GET PLASTIC ON THE BALLOT

Fight the Federal Rollback on a Marine Protected Area

Our nation is in crisis. Yet quietly, in the background and for the first time in history, the federal administration has rolled back protections on a National Marine Sanctuary. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument protects ocean biodiversity and is invaluable to marine resource protection.

Sign this petition and urge for the reintroduction of protections for this marine protected area.

PROTECT MPAs

In Solidarity

Heal the Bay stands in solidarity with the Black community demanding justice for ongoing tragedies caused by systemic racism as well as social and environmental injustices.⁣⁣⁣

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color need to be protected. Black lives matter. The fight for this protection starts in our hearts by examining our own privileges and roles in systemic racism.

Environmental and social justice issues are intertwined. And it must be acknowledged that the hard work to dismantle systemic environmental and social barriers should not be a burden that continues to fall on BIPOC and marginalized communities who are most impacted by these issues.⁣⁣ We, who have access to a clean and safe environment, must fight for access, equity, and safety for all.⁣⁣

READ OUR FULL STATEMENT

Journey to Environmental Justice

In our latest two-part blog series, Heal the Bay Outreach Coordinator Danielle shares her environmental justice journey and what equality, equity, and justice can look like in the environmental movement.

READ: EJ JOURNEY

READ: EQUALITY, EQUITY, JUSTICE

Tune In to the Waves

Today’s Knowledge Drops webinar is all about the history of #WorldOceansDay and the Giant Sea Bass. Dive in with us to learn more about the ocean’s benefits, all the life it supports, and our duty to use its resources sustainably and equitably. Tune in at 1:30PM PDT.

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8 Reasons to Expand Marine Protected Areas in California

04.10.2020 | (Heather) Forest Leigh Curtis

California Coast Marine Protected Areas

Eight years have passed since Marine Protected Areas started to officially be implemented in California. Forest Leigh Curtis, MPA Watch & Outreach Associate at Heal the Bay, calls out eight reasons why we should expand our network of Marine Protected Areas. Even though we can’t visit our local MPAs and beaches in LA right now, we can reflect on their critical importance during Earth Month.

California’s network of Marine Protected Areas “MPAs” sustains a variety of majestic landscapes and thriving ecosystems by ensuring precious marine life habitats are safeguarded. Just like the beach, MPAs welcome guests to visit and explore.

Los Angeles County proudly manages 13 MPAs in three regions: Point Dume, Ranchos Palos Verdes, and Catalina Island. As part of the California Statewide MPA Network, these 13 areas have special protections in place to preserve their biological, geological, and cultural resources.

MPAs not only offer protection to the marine life and ecosystems within their boundaries, but also provide benefits to all Angelenos. Read on to learn more about all the benefits from MPAs!

1. Fun in the sun

There are so many reasons to go to the beach and visit your local MPAs! Some beachgoers are looking to relax and recharge while others are looking for adventure or physical fitness. Whatever you are searching for, beaches have a lot to offer. Activities such as swimming, surfing, stand up paddleboarding, sunbathing, wildlife watching, and tide pooling can be whole-heartily enjoyed at the beach and in our MPAs.

2. Bigger fish in the sea

MPAs are underwater growth engines. These healthy habitats create the conditions for ample biodiversity, meaning a greater abundance and variety of marine life. Plus, wildlife populations are able to readily replenish and species can develop into larger sizes. Healthy, large animals often spillover into areas outside of the MPAs boundaries, which helps the overall ecosystem flourish.

3. A stronger blue economy

From whale watching excursions and recreational diving to seafood, the ocean is the backbone for both the tourism and fisheries industries. Prior to implementing MPAs in California, some feared that zoning off parts of the ocean from fishing could negatively impact local anglers visiting the area and the livelihoods of commercial fishers. Fortunately, a recent study suggests California MPAs boost local economies, which is also supported by similar research in the EU.

4. More resilient to pollution

The ocean is massive and incredibly deep, but it is not large enough to dilute all of the pollution from humans, nor should we rely solely on it to play that role. Some pollutants, including plastics, become more concentrated in the ocean as they enter the food chain (known as bioaccumulation). Animals high in the food chain such as sharks and sea lions can have contamination levels that are millions of times higher than the water in which they live. Stressors such as pollution and fishing are cumulative, and removing some pressure allows overall ecosystems to become more resilient. MPAs provide a natural buffer for species affected by pollution and allow them to recover.

5. Mitigation against climate change

The ocean can facilitate extraordinary processes that fight against climate change, including carbon sequestration, oxygen creation, water purification, and storm buffering. In fact, new evidence has doubled the predicted carbon sequestration capacity of the ocean’s phytoplankton. Other research indicates MPAs are also effective at housing large, reproductive animals that could help replenish populations across the region when impacts from climate change like warming temperatures and reduced oxygen cause species to die-off.

6. Scalable science-based actions

While MPAs can help mitigate against some impacts of climate change, they can’t take on the climate crisis without our help. California’s MPAs were specifically designed as a network of several small zones to increase the area’s resilience to climate change. Changes in ocean temperature, ocean currents, oxygen availability, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and storm intensification all lead to a phenomenon known as species redistribution. In other words, as water conditions shift in the ocean, entire habitats and species follow. Few can predict beforehand exactly where habitats will move to, and a network of MPAs helps ensure that there are several stable and safe places to go. More MPAs will increase our ocean’s resilience. MPAs have the power to turn the tides on climate change, but only if we take urgent action to increase marine protection and decrease pollution from fossil fuels and plastics.

7. Learning opportunities for all

MPAs teach us how the underwater world works and what we can do to keep the ocean healthy, safe, and clean. Research divers, students, naturalists, and scientists alike can observe, study, and glean important information from MPAs. This new knowledge can be used to inform our environmental and economic policies to improve life for future generations. #bluemind

8. Inspiring ocean stewardship

Experience more wonder and adventure in your local MPA by volunteering with MPA Watch! As a volunteer, you can work alongside people who care about the ocean. You efforts will inform state and local MPA management about the specific needs of each MPA and how to keep them thriving. You’ll receive training on how to collect much-needed scientific data and stay in the loop about how MPAs are management and how they are changing.

Become a MPA Watch volunteer in Los Angeles by attending a Heal the Bay Volunteer Orientation. Or, learn more about other MPA Watch programs in California.

Maps of MPAs in LA County

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Recap: Honor The Ocean Event

12.21.2018 | Lidia Grande-Ruiz

Events Los Angeles Marine Protected Areas Santa Monica Bay

We are blessed to live in a place where we are rich in history, diversity and ecology. And we should take every opportunity granted to us to celebrate this.

This past fall, the Los Angeles County Marine Protected Area (MPA) Collaborative Network hosted the 2nd annual Honor the Ocean event at Zuma Beach in the City of Malibu to acknowledge and celebrate Chumash maritime culture, stewardship and science efforts to preserve and protect the ocean. From seeing dolphins to hearing stories about dolphins, here are my top 4 moments from the event.

4: Enjoying the Bay

Surfers of all ages paddled out in the water. Seeing them get on their boards was thrilling because they were so excited to catch a wave. Like Phil Edwards once said, “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.” Edwards makes a great point. Even though surfing is a challenging sport, you simply can’t help but have fun. The more fun you have, the more you want to practice it. And with practice comes passion. This quote can apply to anything in life, really.

3. Celebrating the Chumash People

The Chumash and the Gabrielino-Tongva peoples were the First People of the Channel Islands and Santa Monica Mountains areas. I learned so much about their traditions and culture at the event. To kick off the event we all surrounded the tomol, which is redwood sewn-plank canoe. Pretty amazing!

There was a Ceremonial Chumash blessing that was led by Mati Waiya, Founder and Executive Director of the Wishtoyo Foundation. After the blessing, we had the opportunity to talk to one of the members of the Chumash Women’s Elders Council. She encouraged all the youth to carry forward the Chumash tradition of protecting the environment for future generations. Her words and wisdom were inspiring.

2. Story time!

No amount of technology can replace the beauty of live, spoken word storytelling. At the event, the Chumash people shared a beautiful story about dolphins and how singing a special blessing can bring dolphins closer to us on land. Just as the story came to a close, the crowd spotted dolphins leaping out of the ocean. Coincidence? I think not! It was pure joy. Which leads me to what’s next…

1. Dolphins!!!

No doubt, dolphins are awesome. And it’s truly mind-blowing to think about how much humans have in common with them. We both feel sadness, pain, anger and happiness. We protect our young and we do our best to stay together as a family (pod). It was thrilling to see a small pod of dolphins swimming by during the Honor the Ocean event. Especially since dolphins were etched on the tomol and a centerpiece during story time. What a magical moment to have witnessed.

At the closing of a wonderful day, the Chumash leaders gave us a few heartfelt suggestions that I wanted to pass along to you:

Bless the day that we have been given to see.
Give thanks for the sun that rises in the distance.
Less screen time, more real time!

So what are you waiting for? Go out and discover something new.

Thanks to all the Honor the Ocean event partners for a great day: Wishtoyo Foundation, City of Malibu, Chumash Maritime Foundation, Los Angeles County Lifeguards, Los Angeles Waterkeeper, The Bay Foundation, California Conservation Association, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Santa Monica Mountains Restoration Conservation District, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and USC Sea Grant Program.

About the Author:

Lidia Grande-Ruiz is a Digital Advocacy Intern on Heal the Bay’s Communications team. She has also volunteered at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Lidia is currently a Film Production student at Santa Monica College. Aside from her love of the ocean, she’s also obsessed with Buffy, Bones, reading, writing and orcas! 😀

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