California Ocean Science Trust

The California Ocean Science Trust (OST) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation established pursuant to the California Ocean Resources Stewardship Act of 2000 to encourage coordinated, multi-agency, multi-institution approaches to translating ocean science to management and policy applications.

The mission of the OST is to ensure that the best available science is applied to California policies and ocean management to successfully maintain a healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and coast.

The MPA Monitoring Enterprise is a program of the California Ocean Science Trust (OST). The Monitoring Enterprise was created in 2007 to lead the design and implementation of scientifically rigorous, impartial and cost-effective monitoring of the network of marine protected areas established in California under the Marine Life Protection Act. Working at the boundary between science and management, we are pioneering scientific and practical assessments of the changing condition of ocean ecosystems and the performance of MPA networks, and developing innovative approaches for sharing monitoring results so that decision-makers and stakeholders have timely, credible information for making sound decisions. We work closely with the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Ocean Protection Council, and engage scientists and stakeholders to ensure monitoring is based on the best available science, reflects public interests and meets management needs.