The Necessity of Establishing a Regional Marine Research Program for the U.S. West Coast

The welfare of the marine environment of the U.S. West Coast of California, Oregon, and Washington is hindered by insufficient understanding of ecosystem dynamics and human pressures. Greater coordination, integration, and support of mutually identified research priorities across research organizations on the West Coast are necessary. This level of collaboration is essential to responding to regional ecosystem threats, such as the impacts of human occupation of coastal areas, over-harvesting of marine resources, and climate change. To address this need for collaboration and build on the accomplishments of existing research organizations, this article advocates the establishment of a West Coast regional marine research program (RMRP).