Potential removal of MPA designation and associated protections. Should your MPA remain under management of its governing body and maintain current protections? Should your MPA be reduced in size in order to open up certain areas to human activity? What areas would you allow access? For what specific purposes? and why? You should support your recommendations with evidence from the literature.
There are five interested parties of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary such as 1) the Tourist Industry (Tourism operators in towns like Port Angeles and Forks have a vested interest in the sanctuary as it attracts visitors for activities such as whale watching, bird watching, and recreational fishing, The Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission hosts seafood and wine festivals and markets, keeps up hiking trails, charter fishing available from La Push, Sekiu, Westport, and Neah Bay, and hosts races to bring tourists into the area. Other tourist sites include the Olympic Coast Discover Center, whale watching, kayaking, surfing, and diving shops), 2) Indigenous tribes (such as the Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault tribes, have ancestral ties to the sanctuary. They support measures that respect their cultural heritage and traditional fishing rights and are concerned with preserving their cultural heritage and maintaining access to traditional fishing grounds.). 3) Commercial fishermen (such as salmon, halibut, lingcod, and tuna fisherman depend on the sanctuary for their livelihood. They may oppose restrictions that limit their fishing activities but support sustainable management to ensure the long-term viability of fish stocks). 4) Conservation groups (environmental organizations that aim to protect the sanctuary's biodiversity. They generally support stricter management measures to protect the sanctuary's ecosystems and are concerned with preserving biodiversity, preventing pollution, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Researchers from local universities such as Oregon State University and research institutions such as the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems, and the NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary who make up the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) have a vested interest in the sanctuary as it provides a unique environment for marine research and seek to increase scientific understanding of the sanctuary along with historic shipwrecks in the region). 5) Government agencies (such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary’s Intergovernmental Policy Council which manages the sanctuary, aim to balance the needs of different stakeholders while ensuring the sanctuary's long-term sustainability). In regards to these interested parties, provide recommendations on the following:
- Potential removal of MPA designation and associated protections.
- Should your MPA remain under management of its governing body and maintain current protections?
- Should your MPA be reduced in size in order to open up certain areas to human activity? What areas would you allow access? For what specific purposes? and why?
- You should support your recommendations with evidence from the literature.
- Potential change in access for commercial and/or recreational fishing in your MPA.
- This will depend on the current protections for your MPA which you identified in Week 1 (commercial and recreational fishing prohibited, commercial and recreational fishing restricted, commercial fishing restricted, etc.)
- Should your MPA’s current level of fishing restrictions be maintained? Why?
- Should certain areas be opened to specific types of fishing/harvesting? Why?
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