Marine Reserves Enforcement
Marine reserve implementation depends on enforcement and education, otherwise these are simply “paper parks,” with lines on a map. In Oregon, compliance rates tend to be relatively high among the reserve sites. This is due to a combination of factors, including the voluntary willingness of fishers to comply with the rules, along with education and outreach campaigns by the Oregon State Police (OSP), Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and State Parks (OPRD).
Enforcement of Oregon’s marine reserves is spearheaded by OSP’s Marine Fisheries Team, headed up by Sergeant Todd Thompson. ODFW, OPRD and OSP jointly work with communities on outreach and education efforts to help sport and commercial fishers and other recreational users understand the rules.
“For the most part, compliance has been pretty good. Overall, there haven’t been that many citations,” said Sergeant Todd Thompson. “A lot of the success is because of outreach. That’s a big factor. If people know the rules, then that goes a long ways for compliance.”
There is no one-size-fits-all for regulatory education. For Oregon’s marine reserves, there have been a number of techniques that have been useful. Click below to learn about a few of them...
We're Hiring: Help Us Spread the Word!
We are currently recruiting to fill our Ecological Research Project Leader position within the ODFW Marine Reserves Program. Please help us spread the word about this job opportunity!
Our current Project Leader, Dr. Brittany Huntington, will be leaving in November to pursue an exciting new position in Hawaii. We are looking for someone who will continue to move forward the innovative ecological monitoring and research program that Brittany and our two additional research staff have built. We will be accepting applications until October 18, 2016. For more information about this position, click below.
Updates From the Field
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