Ocean Protection Council Meeting — June 15, 2021 — Teleconference

Tuesday, June 15, 2021
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Teleconference

Due to the COVID-19 public health orders, and in accordance with the Governor's Executive Orders N-29-20 and N-33-20, this meeting will be held remotely by teleconference.

To join the meeting via Zoom or by phone, please click here to register.

OPC is committed to ensuring that our public meetings are accessible and that members of the public can participate by providing written and oral comment on Council matters. For instructions on public participation in OPC virtual meetings, click here and see below.

1. Welcome, Introductions and Council Member Announcements
Secretary Crowfoot, Council Chair

2. Introduction and Report from the Executive Director Mark Gold, D.Env., Executive Director

3. Report from the Science Advisor Liz Whiteman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Ocean Science Trust

Advancing Strategic Plan Goal 1: Safeguard Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Communities in the Face of Climate Change; Objective 1.2: Minimize Causes and Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia

4. Action Item: Consideration of Authorization to Disburse Funds to Improve Understanding of Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Vulnerability and Impacts

4a. Enhancing California's ocean acidification and hypoxia monitoring program through existing long-term monitoring efforts.
Justine Kimball, Ph.D., Senior Program Manager

4b. Competitive call for monitoring, research, and synthesis projects that support improved understanding of chemical and ecological sensitivity and adaptation to ocean acidification and hypoxia.
Kat Beheshti, Ph.D., California Sea Grant Fellow

Advancing Strategic Plan Goal 3: Enhance Coastal and Marine Biodiversity; Objective 3.3: Support Sustainable Marine Fisheries and Thriving Fish and Wildlife Populations

5. Action Item: Consideration of Authorization to Disburse Funds to Reduce the Risk of Whale and Sea Turtle Entanglement in Fishing Gear
Lindsay Bonito, Program Manager

5a. Near-real time ecosystem data for risk assessment and mitigation of whale entanglements in California's Dungeness Crab fishery.

5b. Improving critical whale distribution and occurrence data to inform risk assessments for entanglement off California.

5c. Monitoring leatherback turtle distribution and migration to reduce entanglement risk in the California Current.

Advancing Strategic Plan Goal 4: Support Ocean Health Through A Sustainable Blue Economy; Objective 4.4: Guide Sustainable Renewable Energy Projects

6. Discussion Item: Offshore Wind in California
Justine Kimball, Ph.D., Senior Program Manager
Karen Douglas, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Jordan Diamond, Councilmember

7. Consent Items:

7a. Reauthorization of California Fisheries Fund
Noah Ben-Aderet, Ph.D., Program Manager

7b. Consideration of Authorization to Disburse Additional Funds for Urchin Removal to Support Potential Kelp Forest Recovery
Mike Esgro, Program Manager

8. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items

9. Arrangements for Next Meeting and AdjournmentSeptember 14, 2021; 11am -3pm: location TBD

NOTES

Agenda items may be re-ordered at the discretion of the Council Chair.

Providing Public Comment:

Written Comments: Written comments should be sent to [email protected] by 9am on June 14, 2021. If you are writing about an item on the Council's agenda, please include the item number in the email subject line. If you are writing with a general comment, please include a brief title for your comment.

Oral Comments: For each item on the agenda and at the end of the public meeting on non-agenda items, the OPC Chair will ask whether there are any requests for public comment. If you want to provide oral comments on a specific agenda item, you will need to 'Raise your hand ' during the Zoom meeting. *If calling into the meeting from a telephone, you can use 'Star (*) 9' to raise/ lower your hand.

Once your hand is raised and it is your turn to speak, the meeting facilitator will unmute you, announce your name, and you will be able to make your public comment to the Council. *Depending on how you have called in, you may also need to unmute yourself.

A speaker's time allotment for a specific agenda item is at the discretion of the Chair but generally limited to two minutes, with a maximum of six minutes of testimony allowed per person for the entirety of the meeting. It is strongly recommended, though not required, that public comments be submitted in writing beforehand so they can be distributed to all Council members for review prior to the meeting. After your public comment, your hand will be lowered and you will be placed back on mute.

Questions about the meeting or agenda can be directed to Jenn Eckerle at [email protected].

Any person who has a disability and requires accommodation to participate in this council meeting should contact Ms. Eckerle no later than five days prior to the meeting.

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