SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – Environment California on Wednesday delivered more than 43,000 petition signatures to the state Fish and Game Commission and the governor, calling for better protection of California’s fabled Pacific coastal waters and the animals who live there. Environment California and its partners unveiled the evidence of public support at a news conference ahead of the governor’s Ocean Protection Council presenting its recommendations for the state’s marine protected areas to the Fish and Game Commission. Studies show that marine protected areas, such as California's existing network, help dwindling species survive and thrive. 

"California’s ocean life is at risk from overheated waters, overfishing and other threats,” said Environment California State Director Laura Deehan. “Kudos to Governor Newsom and the Ocean Protection Council for working to keep our ocean healthy and responding to the concerns of scientists, divers, fishermen and tens of thousands of Californians. We must seize this unprecedented opportunity to meaningfully strengthen California’s Marine Protected Area network.” 

California’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network was created in 2012 following the passage of the Marine Life Protection Act in 1999. The Marine Life Protection Act requires the state to conduct a review after ten years, and make updates to the MPA network to reflect current and future threats to animal and plant species, such as kelp.

“Between 2014 and 2019, Northern California lost around 90% of its kelp forest habitat. These forests form the foundation of entire marine ecosystems’” said Emma Ngo, one of many UC Berkeley students who helped gather petition signatures face-to-face and online. “One of the proposals the governor’s Ocean Protection Council recommended for approval would help conserve more of the last healthy kelp forests. Every minute that proposal sits unapproved, we endanger more kelp and the species that rely on it.” 

Heat is one of the primary threats to ocean life. California is seeing more marine heatwaves offshore, with predictions of increased intensity of marine heatwaves in the coming decades, demonstrated in the “Super El Nino” expected this fall. 

“The future of humanity and that of our ecosystems is intertwined, which is why California, as a global leader in protecting the critical habitats and life existing in and around our ocean, must follow the science and strengthen our network of marine protected areas,” said Azul’s California Policy Manager Tomas Valadez.

Last year, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the entire network to its green list, honoring it as one of the most important conservation achievements in the world. Scientists say the marine protected area network has more fish and bigger fish than found outside the reserves, and better resilience overall. However, when MPA’s don’t connect, animals face unnecessary risks getting from one to another. 

As NRDC Pacific Ocean Initiative Director Sandy Aylesworth pointed out, “Two of the Tribally-led marine protected area proposals – Point Sal and Mishopshno – offer California a chance to conserve two distinct and incredibly special parts of the Central Coast to fill some of these gaps. With their recommendations for ‘yes’ votes on both, the Ocean Protection Council has shown its commitment to a healthy ocean into the future.”

The California Fish and Game Commission will formally review the new recommendations at Wednesday’s meeting and is expected to vote on the proposed changes in Oct. 2026.