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Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725
The positive effects on sea life observed at the Channel Islands after ten years of protection through marine protected areas (MPAs) will be discussed by Dr. Jennifer Caselle during the April From Shore to Sea lecture. In 2003 California established MPA's around the Channel Islands to help restore biodiversity and ecosystem health by protecting local marine life and habitats. Caselle designed and managed a monitoring program of kelp forests to gauge the success of these MPAs. Caselle will describe how the no harvest MPAs appear to be fulfilling their role as refuges for many fish and invertebrate species. Results from the first decade of monitoring at the Channel Islands show that these protected areas foster more abundance and bigger fish than areas outside the MPAs. This provides a window into the ecological improvements that, over time, could also be seen throughout the statewide MPA network in California. Caselle received a PhD in marine ecology in 1997 from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is currently a research biologist at the university's Marine Science Institute. She is also a principal investigator for the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO). Her research is broadly focused on marine conservation and reef ecology. The talk will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2015. The From Shore to Sea lecture series is sponsored by Channel Islands National Park to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding marine waters. The lectures occur at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of March, April, May, September, October, and November at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to the public. This lecture can also be viewed live online at: https://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/live-programs.htm. Lectures are recorded and posted at: https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/photosmultimedia/from-shore-to-sea-lecture-videos.htm |
Last updated: April 2, 2015