Oregon’s investment in ocean conservation celebrated | News

The Oregon Ocean Alliance celebrated this renewed commitment to ocean conservation established more than a decade ago for the wildlife and marine ecosystems off the Oregon coast. 

Approximately nine percent of Oregon state waters (between 0-3 miles from shore) have been designated as either marine reserves or marine protected areas within the state program as important places for whales, seals, sea lions, fish, corals, and other ocean animals.

“Our state’s marine reserves program conducts research that is vital to our understanding of changing ocean conditions and engages our coastal communities in marine stewardship,” Gomberg said. “I’m thrilled we are finally providing additional investments to strengthen the five marine reserves we established more than a decade ago. This renewed commitment is a meaningful step toward better engagement with coastal tribes and fisheries and will help us carry out ocean conservation the Oregon way.”

What the program is designed to do

Oregon’s marine reserve program includes two designations: marine reserves, which prohibit all development, including a ban on removing fish or any other living ocean animals; and marine protected areas, where most development is prohibited but some sustainable fishing activities occur. 

The protected areas stretch along the Oregon coast and include Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, Otter Rock, Cape Perpetua, and Redfish Rocks. More than 30 species of marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and fish populations found off the Oregon coast are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

“Oregon’s ocean is home to extraordinary wildlife and incredible ocean ecosystems, and it’s essential now more than ever to protect critical areas,” Oceana Pacific legal director and senior counsel Tara Brock said. “The science shows that marine reserves and protected areas are a key tool for strengthening the resilience of our oceans and the long-term health of marine life in the face of climate change, plastic pollution, and other global ocean threats. We join Gov. Kotek in celebration of this important legislation to further the conservation and management of our oceans.”

“These areas represent the first long-term, nearshore ocean conservation and monitoring program executed by the state of Oregon,” said Charlie Plybon, Oregon policy manager for Surfrider Foundation and lead for Oregon’s Ocean Alliance on the bill. “These investments will ensure these areas are adaptable to changing ocean conditions, and that the program clearly defines goals for tribes and coastal communities and provides meaningful science for future policy needs.”

“This bill strengthens Oregon’s Marine Reserve Program and will allow us to better understand how people use and benefit from these underwater places, engaging with local communities, and develop scientifically based goals specific to each of the marine reserves,” Bird Alliance of Oregon Assistant Director of Statewide Conservation Joe Liebezeit said.

“With the passage of HB 4132, Oregon legislators responded to the waves of support for our Marine Reserves Program — Oregon’s most successful ocean conservation program. Now, a more robust program is on the horizon, which will benefit the whales, seals, and seabirds that call our ocean home,” said Environment Oregon Oceans Advocate Ian Giancarlo.

“Our marine reserves and protected areas are a coastal treasure,” said Annie Merrill, from the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. “These special places are a combination of underwater state parks, wildlife preserves, and living laboratories. This legislation continues Oregon’s legacy of ocean conservation and its passing makes a strong statement that the state is willing to invest in understanding and protecting our coastal resources and communities.”

House Bill 4132 increased funding for the marine reserves program to develop an adaptive management plan focused on ecological and socioeconomic research and to expand engagement with local tribes and coastal communities. The bill passed the Oregon Senate on March 6 by a vote of 26-3, and passed the Oregon House unanimously by a vote of 55-0.