REPORTS & PAPERS

This report was developed through a collaborative effort led by the California Ocean Science Trust (OST), in coordination with the California Ocean Protection Council and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Informed by a multidisciplinary science working group—including Dr. Jennifer Selgrath, Ocean Access Project leader—and additional contributors, it provides recommendations to strengthen the integration of social science into the monitoring and management of California’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network. The findings aim to support more inclusive, informed, and effective ocean governance.

This Tribal report shares perspectives from Tribal communities along California’s Central Coast on ocean access, stewardship, and cultural revitalization. It highlights how relationships with the ocean are rooted in reciprocity, responsibility, and care, while also documenting the structural barriers that continue to limit access. The report points to solutions grounded in Tribal leadership—including co-management, recognition of cultural practices, and investments in community and youth—as essential pathways toward more equitable and regenerative ocean management.

Our Ocean Access Phase I report highlights how Californians experience and benefit from the ocean—and how these experiences differ across groups and demographics. Through community-engaged research—including interviews, focus groups, case studies, and more than 2,100 survey responses—we partnered with Tribal communities, fishers, and environmentally disadvantaged groups to understand barriers, values, and opportunities for ocean access across Central California. The findings point to ways that marine management, including the state’s MPA network, can better advance equity, support community wellbeing, and strengthen the next generation of ocean advocates and stewards.