California Current

The California Current (CC) is known for strong seasonal upwelling that yields local areas of high productivity capable of supporting a wide variety of important commercially harvested shellfish and fish as well as sea birds and large marine mammals. Interannual variability in this system is influenced by two main climate drivers, the El Nino Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Health and productivity of this system is affected by commercial and recreational fishing, pollution, habitat degradation, shoreline alteration, logging, agriculture, urbanization, grazing, and energy production. The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) is the first in eight of the USA’s Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) to implement NOAA’s Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) program.

Source: www.lme.noaa.gov and Northwest Fisheries Science Center

IEA Work Underway

This highly collaborative work will build on previous efforts in the CC LME to establish the two underpinning elements of an IEA, the data management infrastructure and the ecosystem-modeling infrastructure. High priority will be given to developing frameworks that can expand to include new data and address multiple management questions. For example, ecosystem models should be able to address multiple issues (e.g., protected species, fisheries, and ecosystem health), especially where mandates overlap. This phase of work will include development of standard indicators, a data system and services framework, a management strategy evaluation (MSE) model framework, MSE products for managers, and documentation of the full process of creating the CC IEA. Work includes engagement with relevant NOAA partners such as the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest and Southwest Science Centers, SW and NW Regional Offices, Marine Protected Area Center, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Coastal Data Development Center, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries , Office of Atmospheric Research as well as, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, Puget Sound Partnership, California Ocean Protection Council, and West Coast Governors Agreement (WCGA) on Ocean Health (states of California, Washington and Oregon).

Pictures: NOAA
Oil Rig Picture: David Agnew