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. (a) (1) The department and team shall use the best readily
available scientific information in preparing the master plan adopted
pursuant to Section 2855, and shall organize the location-specific
contents, where feasible, by biogeographical region. In preparing the
plan, the department and team shall use and build upon the findings
of the Sea Grant survey of protected areas in California waters,
which is entitled "California's Marine Protected Areas," the report
of the State Interagency Marine Managed Areas Workgroup, the
Department of Parks and Recreation's planning information and
documents regarding existing and potential underwater parks and
reserves, maps and other information from the department's marine
nearshore ecosystem mapping project, and other relevant planning and
scientific materials.
(2) The master plan shall include all of the following components:
(A) Recommendations for the extent and types of habitat that
should be represented in the MPA system and in marine life reserves.
Habitat types described on maps shall include, to the extent possible
using existing information, rocky reefs, intertidal zones, sandy or
soft ocean bottoms, underwater pinnacles, sea mounts, kelp forests,
submarine canyons, and seagrass beds.
(B) An identification of select species or groups of species
likely to benefit from MPAs, and the extent of their marine habitat,
with special attention to marine breeding and spawning grounds, and
available information on oceanographic features, such as current
patterns, upwelling zones, and other factors that significantly
affect the distribution of those fish or shellfish and their larvae.
(C) Recommendations to augment or modify the guidelines in
subdivision (c) of Section 2857, if necessary to ensure that the
guidelines reflect the most up-to-date science, including, for
example, recommendations regarding the minimum size of individual
marine life reserves needed to accomplish the various goals set forth
in Section 2853.
(D) Recommended alternative networks of MPAs, including marine
life reserves in each biogeographical region that are capable of
achieving the goals in Section 2853 and designed according to the
guidelines in subdivision (c) of Section 2857.
(E) A simplified classification system, which shall be consistent
with the goals of Section 2853 and the guidelines in subdivision (c)
of Section 2857, and which may include protections for specific
habitats or species, if no system that meets these specifications has
already been developed.
(F) Recommendations for a preferred siting alternative for a
network of MPAs that is consistent with the goals in Section 2853 and
the guidelines in subdivision (c) of Section 2857.
(G) An analysis of the state's current MPAs, based on the
preferred siting alternative, and recommendations as to whether any
specific MPAs should be consolidated, expanded, abolished,
reclassified, or managed differently so that, taken as a group, the
MPAs best achieve the goals of Section 2853 and conform to the
guidelines in subdivision (c) of Section 2857.
(H) Recommendations for monitoring, research, and evaluation in
selected areas of the preferred alternative, including existing and
long-established MPAs, to assist in adaptive management of the MPA
network, taking into account existing and planned research and
evaluation efforts.
(I) Recommendations for management and enforcement measures for
the preferred alternative that apply systemwide or to specific types
of sites and that would achieve the goals of this chapter.
(J) Recommendations for improving the effectiveness of enforcement
practices, including, to the extent practicable, the increased use
of advanced technology surveillance systems.
(K) Recommendations for funding sources to ensure all MPA
management activities are carried out and the Marine Life Protection
Program is implemented.
(b) The team shall, as necessary, identify and define additional
appropriate components of the master plan as soon as possible after
enactment of this section.