Overview

This assessment represents the beginning of an ongoing partnership between the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA). The purpose of this collaboration is to apply a biogeographic approach to the analysis and management of marine resources within the National Marine Sanctuaries. This particular work, conducted in collaboration with the three sanctuaries - Cordell Bank (CBNMS), Gulf of the Farallones (GFNMS) and Monterey Bay (MBNMS) and scientists conducting research within the region, is the first in a series of regional assessments. Biogeographic assessments for other national marine sanctuaries followed: Channel Islands, Stellwagen, Grays Reef and Olympic Coast (in progress).

At the onset of the project in 2001, CCMA and Sanctuary staff identified a set of objectives to support the updates to management plans for each sanctuary:

1. Identify and compile available priority biological and environmental data sets in and around the Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones, and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries to conduct biogeographic analyses for updates to sanctuary management plans.
2. Conduct marine biogeographic analyses of available data to identify significant biological areas (i.e., hot spots) and time periods, based on species distributions, abundance, habitats, life history functions and community metrics (e.g., species richness, diversity).
3. Produce reports, maps, data tables and other products that describe the ecological components and linkages of the estuarine, coastal and marine ecosystems along the north/central California coast (from Pt. Arena to Pt. Sal).
4. Organize relevant information and analyses into GIS maps and data tables for later use in the assessment of various management strategies and modification of sanctuary boundaries, based on the biota and their habitat. Couple the results from objectives 1-3 to enable integration of the biogeographic analyses into a variety of products for the National Marine Sanctuary Program.

The assessment consists of three components: three reports; a suite of quantitative spatial and statistical analyses that characterize physical and biological patterns off the central California coast; and an extensive array of data - patial, temporal, derived acquired, assimilated, and analyze,d to conduct the analyses and assessment. The data gathered, analyses performed, and patterns of distribution modeled and observed provide useful information to support future monitoring and scientific studies, the development of educational material, and support of other spatially-explicit management decisions.

These products would not have been completed without the extensive collaboration, review, and support provided by many individuals and institutions. If you have questions or comments regarding the marine assessment off central California, please contact Tracy Gill (NCCOS) at Tracy.Gill@noaa.gov or 301-713-3028 x150. For more information on the Biogeography Branch, please contact Mark Monaco at 201-713-3028 x160 (Mark.Monaco@noaa.gov).