Conservation study includes off-shore fishing activity near Cambria

An ocean conservation organization conducted a study using radar along the Central Coast, including near Cambria, to monitor fishing activity near zones meant to protect marine life.

The study found that boaters often cluster along the edges of marine protected areas (MPAs) off the coast of California. These new findings suggest that fishers are aware of the MPA boundaries and cluster just outside them to potentially benefit from better fishing opportunities by "fishing the line."

The study, recently published in PLOS ONE, used the ProtectedSeas Marine Monitor (M2) autonomous data collection tool to continuously monitor vessel activity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a year in the vicinity of five state-managed MPAs near San Diego, Santa Barbara and Cambria. The M2 systems, which combine marine radar with custom software, were deployed to record the movement of boats on the water, allowing researchers to measure boat activity continuously in and around MPAs for the first time.