Message from the President
It’s been another busy year at MARE. We conducted a second year of surveys in California’s new North Central Coast marine protected areas (MPAs), won the contract for and began data collection in the South Coast MPAs, provided engineering and operations support for marine debris removal work in Monterey Bay, conducted our first environmental impact assessment survey, began processing data from , and co-convened an international marine technology workshop.
We found cause for hope, too. We witnessed a resurgence in the numbers of Canary Rockfish along the North Central Coast, saw large concentrations of Yellow Eye rockfish at Point Arena, and even a few Cow Cod. These are the three threatened rockfish that are limiting the West Coast bottom fishery. In addition we experience squid so thick in La Jolla canyon that we had to abort a dive!!
In May, I was honored and humbled to be name one of Oceana’s “Ocean Hero Finalists.” “Hero” is not a
word that I would have thought to use to describe
my work, or that of MARE. Yet preparing the map you see on this page and reflecting on our work over the past year—as well as all that we have accomplished since our establishment eight years ago—I started realizing that MARE is becoming an important if not key player in West Coast ocean conservation efforts. We are becoming the “go-to” organization for obtaining visual deepwater species and habitat data crucial to understanding and protecting coastal ecosystems.
Of course, none of this would be possible without our wonderful partners—most notably The Nature Conservancy and Cal State University Monterey Bay’s Institute for Applied Marine Ecology—as well as numerous generous funders and donors.
Sincerely,
Dirk Rosen
MARE President and Founder
