Problem Statement:
Monitoring programs in the National Marine Sanctuary System should provide timely information to assess resource or environmental change with respect to issues of concern or sanctuary management actions. The suite of monitoring information required by sanctuary management includes data from within the sanctuary and from areas outside the boundaries that influence sanctuary waters. Typically, the type of information collected outside sanctuary boundaries is influenced indirectly, at best, by sanctuary management requirements. With the contiguous sanctuaries of Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay NMSs covering substantial portions of the coastal waters in the northern half of California, there is potential for sanctuary management concerns to become a more effective and significant driver for monitoring information throughout the region. However, current sanctuary-based monitoring activities were designed for the individual needs of each sanctuary, not to promote and inform effective and efficient management across sites or influence regional monitoring. More...