Marine Protected Areas in Alaska: Recommendations for a Public Process REPORT TO THE ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES By The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Marine Protected Areas Task Force Doug Woodby (chair), Scott Meyer, Kristin Mabry, Victoria O’Connell, Charlie Trowbridge, Janet Hall Schempf, Earl Krygier, and Denby Lloyd Regional Information Report 5J02-08 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries Juneau, Alaska July 2002 1 Marine Protected Areas in Alaska: Recommendations for a Public Process REPORT TO THE ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES By The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Marine Protected Areas Task Force Doug Woodby (chair), Scott Meyer, Kristin Mabry, Victoria O’Connell, Charlie Trowbridge, Janet Hall Schempf, Earl Krygier, and Denby Lloyd Regional Information Report1 5J02-08 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries Juneau, Alaska July 2002 1 The Regional Information Report Series was established in 1987 to provide an information access system for all unpublished divisional reports. These reports frequently serve diverse ad hoc informational purposes or archive basic uninterpreted data. To accommodate timely reporting of recently collected information, reports in this series undergo only limited internal review and may contain preliminary data, this information my be subsequently finalized and published in the formal literature. Consequently, these reports should not be cited without prior approval of the author or the Division of Commercial Fisheries. AUTHORS Doug Woodby is the Shellfish Fisheries Scientist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 1255 W. 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801. Scott Meyer is the Southcentral Region Groundfish Management and Research Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, 3298 Douglas Place, Homer, Alaska 99603-8027. Kristin Mabry is a GIS Biometrician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 1255 W. 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801. Victoria O’Connell is the Southeast Region Groundfish Project Leader for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 304 Lake Street, Room 103, Sitka, Alaska 99835-7563. Charlie Trowbridge is the Central Region Groundfish and Shellfish Fisheries Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 3298 Douglas Place, Homer, Alaska 99603-8027. Janet Hall Schempf is the Coastal Management Coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the staff biologist for the Division of Habitat and Restoration, ADF&G, 1255 W. 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801. Earl Krygier is the Extended Jurisdiction Program Manager for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99518-1599. Denby Lloyd is the Westward Regional Supervisor for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 211 Mission Road, Kodiak, Alaska 99615- 6399. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Doug Mecum, Wayne Regelin, Kelly Hepler, Chip Dennerlein, Rob Bentz, Rob Bosworth, and Frank Rue for their constructive comments on drafts of this document. The authors also wish to thank Paul DeSloover for procuring scientific literature and Amy Carroll for publication assistance. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................................III TABLE OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................III INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 YOUR FEEDBACK IS REQUESTED ................................................................................................................. 2 RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................................................................. 4 DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 4 GOALS OF MARINE RESERVES IN ALASKA................................................................................................... 4 GOAL FOR PROTECTION OF MARINE HABITATS............................................................................................. 5 SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MARINE RESERVES AND PROTECTED MARINE HABITATS IN ALASKAN WATERS ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 Policy ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Public Involvement Process.................................................................................................................... 5 Evaluate Needs for Reserves and Habitat Protection............................................................................. 6 Reserve Site Selection ............................................................................................................................. 7 Buffer Zones............................................................................................................................................ 7 Experimental Controls............................................................................................................................ 8 Sensitive Marine Habitats....................................................................................................................... 8 Coordination with Federal Efforts and with other State Agencies ......................................................... 8 Management Plans for Reserves............................................................................................................. 9 Monitoring and Evaluation..................................................................................................................... 9 APPENDIX A: ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES CHARGE TO COMMITTEE ........................... 10 APPENDIX B: THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR RESERVES ............................................................... 12 BENEFITS AND COSTS TO FISH, FISHERIES, AND ECOSYSTEMS.................................................................. 12 Benefits Within Reserves....................................................................................................................... 12 Benefits Outside of Reserves................................................................................................................. 14 Costs ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Example: Glacier Bay........................................................................................................................... 20 RESERVE DESIGN....................................................................................................................................... 23 Location ................................................................................................................................................ 23 RESERVE SIZE............................................................................................................................................ 25 Configuration: Reserve Networks......................................................................................................... 26 Coverage............................................................................................................................................... 28 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................. 28 APPENDIX C: MPA PROCESSES IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS...................................................... 30 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 30 U.S. FEDERAL MARINE PROTECTED AREA PROGRAMS ............................................................................. 31 Current status, Definition, and Legislation........................................................................................... 31 Legal Basis............................................................................................................................................ 32 Process.................................................................................................................................................. 33 History .................................................................................................................................................. 35 Inventory of Current MPAs................................................................................................................... 35 Case Studies.......................................................................................................................................... 35 Contacts for the federal MPA Inventory ............................................................................................... 36 Internet Sites ........................................................................................................................................