Monterey Bay Issue Name: Ecosystem Protection – Southern Boundary

Working Group Contact:
Sean Morton, MBNMS, phone: 831-647-4217, email: sean.morton@noaa.gov
Michele Roest, MBNMS, phone: 805-927-2145, email: michele.roest@noaa.gov

Issue Description:
On the matter of expanding the MBNMS boundary further south, the Sanctuary Advisory Council ranked this issue relatively low in comparison to the many other resource protection, education, and research needs of the MBNMS. Many of the comments received opposed a boundary shift to the south. Because of renewed local interest in expanding the boundary south, the SAC scheduled a special meeting for the evening of August 1, in Cambria. Following significant input from the public regarding this issue, the Advisory Council voted to “support a local working group to explore options for expanding southern MBNMS boundary or other alternatives.” Since the August meeting, local government officials in San Luis Obispo county begun the process of gathering various stakeholders representing various coastal and ocean interests for a discussion of the options. Following this recommendation from the SAC, MBNMS staff agreed to provide staff to track the progress of the group and to provide any group with information regarding the National Marine Sanctuary Program, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, or the Joint Management Plan Review. The results of this group’s effort may lead to a recommendation to MBNMS, NMSP, or to the U.S. Congress regarding potential options for the marine ecosystem south of the MBNMS boundary. It is important to note that this group is not associated with the MBNMS