What habitat is deeper than the Grand Canyon, requires a submarine to properly explore, and is home to bioluminescent invertebrates? None other than the Monterey Submarine Canyon, an incredibly diverse habitat that extends 50 miles offshore. It provides unique opportunities for deep sea research, as well as recreational and commercial activities, such as diving and fishing.

This massive canyon is an underwater state park that protects marine life and habitat, known as a marine protected area, or MPAs. Within it, there are two areas that you’ve probably never heard of: Soquel Canyon and Portuguese Ledge. Both are valuable habitats for fish species that used to provide the livelihoods of Tim Maricich and other commercial fishermen.

From Fisherman to Captain for Hire

Maricich represents many fishermen in the Monterey Bay to whom fishing is more than a job. For them, it’s a way of life. He’s been fishing in the Monterey Bay for more than 47 years, and his roots reach back generations to a long line of fishermen in Croatia.

In 2007 when 29 offshore areas in California were designated as MPAs, Maricich’s way of life changed. Even though recreational and commercial fishing for some species are allowed in the Soquel Canyon and Portuguese Ledge (including salmon, mackerel, and sardines), rockfish, the mainstay of many fishermen, are off limits. Rockfish-free fishing zones have helped to rebuild the dwindling populations of a valuable commercial species, but that restriction also cut into the income of fishermen like Maricich.

Fishing regulations along the California coast began several years before the designation of MPAs and have caused a huge shift in the fishing industry. Between 1981 and 2011, the number of registered fishing vessels decreased by nearly 70%. Fishermen were being pushed out of waters that they’d been fishing for decades. The good long-term intention of rebuilding fish populations resulted in the short-term consequence of putting men and women out of work.

Today, Maricich still works on his boat in the Monterey Bay, but he’s letting cowcods and yelloweye rockfish (aka red snappers) swim by unscathed. He now captains a boat full of conservation biologists from the Nature Conservancy, and he’s helping them count fish.

The unlikely partnership between a fisherman and marine scientists helps other fishermen trust data from studies within the MPAs. It also provides an economic opportunity for those like Maricich who have an intimate knowledge of navigating the Monterey Bay in search of fish.

There’s another, less obvious reason for this partnership, though. As journalist Paul Greenberg puts it in an article titled “The Fisherman’s Dilemma,” it also stems from one truth that unites fishermen and conservationists: “After all the closures and commissions, all the surveys and reappraisals, the ocean is still deeply mysterious.”

The Rockfish Return

The ocean is indeed a mysterious place, so scientists and fishermen are continually discovering new species and gaining a better understanding of familiar ones. A 2008 baseline study of the Soquel Canyon and the Portuguese Ledge revealed that the Portuguese Ledge has a high diversity of fish species, and Soquel Canyon is home to high numbers of commercial species threatened by overfishing, including the yelloweye rockfish, bocaccio, and cowcod.

Studies that scientists are conducting with Maricich and other fishermen will continue to shed light on the effectiveness of MPAs. For now, It looks like there’s hope that these fisheries can recover, and fishermen like Maricich can look forward to a stronger industry in years to come, thanks to MPAs.

Take the Self-Guided Mobile Tour

This piece is part of the Santa Cruz Marine Protected Areas Beaches Tour made possible by the Santa Cruz Collaborative with support from the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Resources Legacy Fund. Download the free app with many tours of the Santa Cruz area and beyond.

1. Sources

   • "The Fisherman’s Dilemma," by Paul Greenberg. The California Sunday Magazine, March 2015.
   • "How many cowcod rockfish populations are out there?" by Ed Quimby. Northwest Fisheries Science Center website, January 2014.
     January 2014.
   • Central California Marine Protected Areas. California Department of Fish and Wildlife website.
   • Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area and Portuguese Ledge State Marine Conservation Area: Factsheet 3. California MPAs website.
   • Submarine Canyons. Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) website.
   • Destructive Fishing. Marine Conservation Institute website.
   • California’s Central Coast Marine Protected Areas: Baseline Data Collection Summary Report, December 2008. California Sea Grant College Program.
   • "A Little Fish in Big Trouble," by Elizabeth Grossman. Food & Environment Reporting Network website, June 18, 2015.
   • Monterey Sardine Story, by Richard H. Parrish. Pacific Fisheries Environmental Group, National Marine Service. NOAA Fisheries website: Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

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