• Home
  • How We Work
  • Where We Work
  • News Room
  • About Us
  • My Nature Page

The Nature Conservancy in Africa - Conservation in Africa

The Nature Conservancy in Asia Pacific - Conservation in Asia-Pacific

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean - Conservation in the Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy in Central America - Conservation in Central America

The Nature Conservancy in North America - Conservation in North America

The Nature Conservancy in the United States - Conservation in the United States

The Nature Conservancy in South America - Conservation in South America

California Marine

  Sea lion in kelp bd

Sea lion in kelp bed
Photo © Andrew Drake

Global Marine Initiative

The innovative trawler buy-out program is one of many strategies used by the Conservancy to conserve important ocean and coastal areas for the benefit of marine life, local communities and economies around the world. Through its Global Marine Initiative, the Conservancy works to protect healthy habitats and restore degraded habitats?from shellfish reefs, sea grasses and kelp beds to mangroves, spawning sites, coral reefs and estuaries?by promoting such strategies as marine protected area networks, community-based restoration and a range of market-based approaches.

Learn more about the Global Marine Initiative

Morro Bay trawler bought by Conservancy

Morro Bay trawler
Photo © Tom Hill

Conservancy purchases federal trawling permits and vessels to protect California's sensitive marine habitats

Degraded seafloor communities and depleted fish species will now get the chance to recover in a large swath of ocean off the coast of central California, thanks to an innovative trawler buy-out program initiated by The Nature Conservancy.

In 2006 the Conservancy purchased seven federal trawling permits and four trawling vessels from commercial fishermen, becoming the first private organization to buy out Pacific fishing permits and boats for conservation purposes.

The acquisitions are part of a collaborative effort with fishermen and government regulators to protect 3.8 million acres of ocean and help reform a troubled fishery.

>> Listen to the story on NPR's Morning Edition, 7/6/06.

Collaborating with Partners

The waters off California?s central coast include large offshore banks, rocky reefs, kelp beds, coral gardens and some of North America?s largest and deepest underwater canyons. Together they support a dazzling array of fish species and marine mammals.

But bottom trawling has taken its toll on the area. Trawlers drag large, weighted nets along the sea bottom, damage habitat and scoop up fish and other creatures not targeted by the fishermen.

Three years ago the Conservancy and a nonprofit partner, Environmental Defense, approached trawl fishermen in Morro Bay?located midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco?about developing a market-based plan to protect seafloor communities and help boost a troubled fishery.

The fishermen agreed to cooperatively identify diverse marine habitats that would be off limits to trawling and submit those recommendations to the Pacific Fishery Management Council. In exchange, The Nature Conservancy agreed to persuade the Council to adopt the proposal, then buy the fishermen?s permits and vessels to help ease the economic burden.

For now, the Conservancy is shelving the permits and is banking the harvest rights. In the future, it may request that regulators allow the Conservancy to lease back some permits to fishermen who would use more selective gear and help create a certified market for sustainably harvested groundfish.

Learn more about the Conservancy's trawler buy-out program and the California Coastal and Marine Program.

Help us protect California's Marine Areas

Donate online now to help us protect California's Marine Areas

Thank you for helping to save the Last Great Places in California.