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).     

Research Review of Collaborative Ecosystem-Based Management in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem

The welfare of the marine environment is threatened worldwide. In order to maintain ecosystem services management must shift from single sector to ecosystem approaches. To support this transition in marine management, this article reviews collaborative ecosystem-based management in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), through an overview and comparison of three collaborations on the United States West Coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. The achievements of these collaborations are demonstrated. Networking and extending collaboration throughout the entire region is shown to be essential for environmental conservation and sustainable development in the CCLME.