The West Coast Ocean Alliance today held its annual meeting in Tacoma, WA. Presentation slides are accessible here. The West Coast Ocean Alliance is a regional ocean partnership, whose predecessors include the West Coast Ocean Partnership, West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health, and West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health.
Meeting agenda items included the following, with a detailed summary provided below:
- Updates on the Alliance;
- Federal, state, and tribal updates;
- Updates on the West Coast Ocean Data Portal;
- Member perspectives on the benefits of regional coordination;
- Update on a West Coast ocean acidification monitoring gap analysis;
- Brief updates from stakeholders on West Coast activities related to conservation priorities (focus on ship strikes and alternative energy), an integrated social-ecological regional vulnerability assessment to ocean acidification, an integrated climate change vulnerability assessment for West Coast fishing communities, integrated ocean observing for a changing West Coast, an policy and planning update from the Port of San Diego, and the Pacific Marine & Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership’s nearshore data compilation and assessment project; and
- Afternoon breakout sessions addressing West Coast ocean data and stakeholder engagement
REGIONAL OCEAN UPDATE: CURRENT ALLIANCE & DATA ACTIVITIES
Following introductions of ~60 meeting attendees, Alliance Coordinator John Hansen provided background on the Alliance, including its history, purpose, and regional vision focused on four goals (compatible and sustainable ocean uses, comprehensive ocean and coastal data, effective and transparent decision-making, and increased understanding of and respect for tribal rights, traditional knowledge, resources, and practices) and four priority actions (tribal engagement guidance, regional ocean health scorecard, sub-regional coordination frameworks, and a regular regional ocean forum).
In doing so, Hansen underscored that the Alliance is not a regulatory body and that their actions do not have formal impacts, adding that the group wants to help improve awareness and coordination/communication opportunities surrounding regional ocean topics. He also noted the 2018 Executive Order on ocean policy and how it removed the previous Regional Planning Body structure but presented an opportunity for the West Coast to move forward as a regional ocean partnership as the Alliance, and highlighted bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year that would authorize regional ocean partnerships and related annual funding of ~$10 million through FY 2025.
Hansen also discussed the Alliance’s sub-regional coordination initiative, of which Washington and Oregon-Northern California are currently the two active sub-regions.
FEDERAL CAUCUS UPDATE
A NOAA representative provided an update on federal activities, first noting the 2018 Executive Order and its push for agencies to be responsive to regions. They added that the agencies are finding real value in the effort, which dates back to the mid-2000s, stating that is provides a mechanism for coordination engagement between federal agencies and states/tribes. They further discussed a national-level effort to make federal data more accessible under the new ocean policy, with FY 2020 data priorities including a focus on vessel traffic and offshore infrastructure, among other things. The official noted that FY 2020 appropriations bills currently include funding that would allow federal agencies to continue helping the regions in this area, and voiced their interest in working with marine industries and others to obtain non-government data. Lastly, they said that stakeholder input will be needed as federal work groups begin work to develop proposed strategies for ocean mapping as directed under the recent Presidential Memorandum.
STATE CAUCUS UPDATE
A state official from Oregon discussed recent Oregon and California Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force activity, efforts by Washington and Oregon relating to Geographic Location Descriptions under the Coastal Zone Management Act and interest in related collaboration, and establishment of ocean acidification action plans for Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, a state official from California noted their new governor and his efforts on climate change, enhancing biodiversity, improving equity across ocean and coastal policies and actions, and improving ocean health through a blue economy (draft plan out for public comment through Dec. 13).
During Q&A, Alliance Coordinator John Hansen said that a work plan that had previously been under development to further the group’s goal for compatible and sustainable ocean uses had been put on the shelf following the transition from the Regional Planning Body to the Alliance and that the draft probably needs some updating. He said that by Spring 2020, there may be insight on what the work plan might be, including action items, but that the Alliance’s focus for now is on data and stakeholder engagement.
TRIBAL CAUCUS UPDATE
A tribal representative noted the vast number of tribes present on the West Coast, and said that the caucus provides tribes with an opportunity to regularly engage state/federal counterparts on Alliance actions and priorities and to identify projects and programs that tribes would like to see advanced. Priorities in 2019 have included consultation enhancement, sub-regional efforts in Washington and Oregon-Northern California, tribal data, and a First Nations Exchange in British Columbia, while 2020 priorities include consultation (implementation of best practices guidance document, which they hope to finalize in early 2020), securing funding for a tribal caucus coordinator and a Guardians program, enhanced tribal leadership engagement, tribal data including a spatial coordination framework that identifies relevant points of contact to facilitate communication on regional ocean matters and getting tribal data reflected on the West Coast Ocean Data Portal, sub-regional efforts (tribal preference for more localized discussions with states/feds), and a U.S.-hosted First Nations Exchange. In doing so, they noted the support of the Udall Foundation and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation.
WEST COAST OCEAN DATA PORTAL UPDATE
Oregon Coastal Management Program Marine Affairs Coordinator and West Coast Ocean Data Portal Co-Chair Andy Lanier provided an update on the West Coast Ocean Data Portal, noting its establishment in 2012, its focus on supporting the Alliance, and its role as a catalog/visualization tool that provides West Coast resource managers with access to coastal and ocean data. Current funding streams are comprised of NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, with Lanier noting that the transition into the Alliance has led to renewed engagement with and direction for the portal, with the portal team currently focused on web portal technology updates, a spatial coordination framework to help Alliance members coordinate on topics including aquaculture, conservation, and sediment management in specific areas (ready for review by Alliance sub-regional teams), and development of an ocean health scorecard (Alliance reviewing potential initial structure of a nested scorecard and a focus on 1-3 ocean health indicators). In 2020, the portal team will continued to focus on and complete the three current projects and continue to engage with other regional data portals and NOAA on data improvement.
BENEFITS OF REGIONAL COORDINATION
Officials from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and State of California noted the benefits of regional coordination in terms of connecting with people directly and bringing disparate information together to make it more coherent, which they said was leading to forward momentum. A representative from the State of Oregon said that the process took a “huge step” backwards with the new administration, citing what he said was a lack of support for ongoing ocean policy efforts. They said they were pleased that the Alliance could keep some momentum going, and said they would welcome more momentum “for when there’s more sun shining politically.” Meanwhile, tribal representatives said they welcomed the opportunity presented by regional coordination.
WEST COAST OCEAN ACIDIFICATION MONITORING GAP ANALYSIS UPDATE
Officials from the California Ocean Protection Council and Southern California Coastal Water Research Project provided an update on regional ocean acidification/hypoxia monitoring and future region-wide collaboration. They noted the goal of linking data to decision-making and the work of the Ocean Acidification & Hypoxia Task Force. Recommendations emanating from the gap analysis include better connecting physical and biological monitoring, adding the monitoring parameters necessary to assess and improve performance of ocean acidification and hypoxia models, and ensuring continuity of long-term ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring programs. Next steps include enhancing the specificity of the Task Force recommendations, receiving feedback from the broader scientific community, and providing an oral presentation to the California Ocean Protection Council in February and a written report in June.
WEST COAST LIGHTNING ROUND UPDATES
Stakeholders representing Point Blue Conservation Science, Washington Sea Grant, the University of Washington, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Port of San Diego, and the Pacific Marine & Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership respectively provided quick updates on their work regarding (1) conservation priorities, West Coast ship strike analysis, and a new proposal to identify offshore wind energy areas; (2) an integrated social-ecological regional vulnerability assessment for ocean acidification; (3) an integrated climate change variability assessment for West Coast fishing communities; (4) integrated ocean observing for a changing West Coast; (5) a Port of San Diego coastal and marine policy and planning update; and (6) a nearshore data compilation and assessment project.
AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
Afternoon breakout discussions focused on the West Coast Ocean Data Portal and stakeholder engagement. During the portal breakout, discussion focused on the benefits and challenges of a region-specific data portal, portal features, alignment of federal and regional data portal goals, development of the West Coast Ocean Health Scorecard, and portal feedback. Suggestions for portal additions included ESA-listed species, additional fisheries and biological data, a spatial tool to identify compatible uses, and development of an ocean acidification and hypoxia dashboard.
During the stakeholder engagement breakout, participants discussed the contours of successful West Coast stakeholder engagement, the Alliance efforts that are most helpful for stakeholders to be engaged with, and engagement methods and existing mechanisms that are most effective. It was noted that there is a need to improve general awareness of the Alliance’s existence following the disbandment of the Regional Planning Body, and participants also discussed the importance of better understanding the role of stakeholders and Alliance members in Alliance-stakeholder conversations and the realistic engagement tools available for stakeholder outreach (e.g. quarterly webinar, website/social media posts, etc.)
