Tsunami Marine Debris

For information about the marine debris from the March 11, 2011 tsunami in Japan, click here.

WCGA Accomplishments


Check out the executive summary of the WCGA biennial report for the most recent accomplishments.
 

WCGA Updates—Sign Me Up!


Please send me updates about the West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health by clicking here.

 

Recent WCGA Action Coordination Team Accomplishments


The Integrated Ecosystem Assessment ACT has finalized its work plan.
 

Links to Ocean Information


National Ocean Council
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
US Environmental Protection Agency 

Integrated Ocean Observing Systems

National Sea Grant
Ocean Literacy
 

Ocean Frontiers Documentary

Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean Stewardship, a new film by Green Fire Productions, is premiering across the nation to inspire and mobilize communities from coast to coast to better manage and conserve America’s vital ocean resources. 


WCGA Sea Grant Fellows Launch Blog

Sea Grant Fellow Blog Header



Four WCGA Sea Grant Fellows, hired in the spring of 2011 to advance West Coast ocean and coastal health issues, have launched a blog to engage the public in a dialogue about efforts along the West Coast to better manage our region's coastal and marine resources. Bookmark this site to join the conversation—

http://westcoastoceans.wordpress.com
 

Latest Blogs:

Website last updated May 18, 2012.

 

West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health  


Welcome from the Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington

 

The three governors

   
California Governor Edmund G Brown Jr. (left), Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber (center), and Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (right) participate in the West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health to address critical ocean and coastal protection management issues facing all three states.

Our oceans are home to a great diversity of marine life and clean beaches, and oceans are vital to West Coast fishing communities, recreation and tourism. We know that isolated local efforts cannot adequately address the breadth of degradation to our oceans. By cooperating, our three states will combine our resources and influence to make a real difference in the fight to clean and protect the oceans. 
- Governor Gregoire
 

Oceans in the News

West Coast

  • U.S. EPA Region 9 seeks proposals for innovative projects that reduce land-based sources of marine debris—U.S. EPA Region 9 seeks proposals for projects that restore and protect water quality and habitat of coastal waters, estuaries, bays, near shore, and ocean waters through innovative and comprehensive approaches to reducing land-based sources of marine debris. Funding: $283,660 is available for one to three projects. Eligibility: States, local governments, public/private nonprofit institutions/organizations, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, U.S. territories or possessions, and interstate agencies are eligible. Deadline: Proposals are due Friday, June 8, 2012, 5:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time (PST). Interested parties should read the complete RFP at http://www.epa.gov/region9/marine-debris/.
  • West Coast Integrated Observing Systems sign MOU to expand and strengthen collaboration—To further the mission of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and serve the requirements for ocean observations, data, and information at the scale of the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), the three regional components of IOOS on the West Coast recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand and strengthen West Coast regional ocean observing collaboration (more). 

California

  • California Permitting Guidance for Ocean Renewable Energy Test and Pilot Projects—The California Ocean Protection Council, in consultation with the California Marine Renewable Energy Working Group, developed a permitting guidance document to support the state’s long-term energy and carbon reduction goals, particularly the development of experimental wave, tidal and offshore wind energy technologies.  The guidance document provides license and permit processing guidance for early test and pilot hydrokinetic and offshore wind projects located in and adjacent to California marine waters. This guidance can help project proponents prepare for and meet anticipated regulatory requirements by providing a level of certainty about the review and issuance process of state permits for these types of projects.  More information about OPC and partner efforts on ocean renewable energy can be found on the Wave Energy Development page.
  • California OPC recommends the California Energy Commission adopt a state policy on Ocean Renewable Energy—At its December 16, 2011 meeting, the California Ocean Protection Council approved a recommendation to the California Energy Commission (CEC) suggesting that the CEC consider adopting an ocean renewable energy policy as part of the state’s Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) update.
  • Southern California Marine Protected Areas Effective January 1—New marine protected areas (MPAs) will go into effect Jan. 1, 2012 from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County to the U.S./Mexico border. Last week, the state Office of Administrative Law approved the regulatory package put forward by the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) that sets rules and boundaries for the south coast MPAs (more).

Oregon

  • Oregon continues Territorial Sea Planning process—Oregon is entering the second phase of a process to amend its Territorial Sea Plan for renewable energy development through a spatial planning process that will locate areas where renewable energy development may be sited within Oregon's Territorial waters (more).
     

  • Ocean Frontiers Documentary to premiere Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at the Performing Arts Center in Newport, Oregon from 7-9pm—Ocean Frontiers is a documentary and outreach campaign to inspire and mobilize audiences to better care for the ocean (more).
     
  • Oregon's Marine Reserves Moving Forward—Oregon is moving forward with the recommendations of the Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) to establish marine reserves at Otter Rock, Redfish Rocks, Cape Perpetua, Cascade Head, and Cape Falcon (more).

Washington

  • Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) Invites Public to Share Photos of High Winter Tides—Ecology is inviting the public to share photos of the high winter tides, or king tides, that will occur this winter from late December 2011 through January 2012. Check out Ecology’s King Tide Initiative website for more information. 
     

  • WCGA Sea Grant Fellow Narrates Video on Puget Sound Pelagic Food Web Study—Alan Lovewell produced a video on a study currently being done on the Puget Sound food web to see how various bodies of water throughout the sound differ in their ecological communities and how the health of the Puget Sound Ecosystem relates to human activity.