Our Coast, Our Heritage - Marisa Villarreal, Ocean Protection Council

California Native American Tribes have been using, managing and stewarding California's coast for centuries. The Marine Life Protection Act of 1999 was a process that made tribes feel marginalized and discriminated against, because it restricted their right to harvest marine life from specific areas on the coast, and practice their cultural and religious traditions. The Ocean Protection Council, a policy body within the California Natural Resources Agency, has been taking the lead in facilitating collaboration and communication between California agencies and tribes, to work together in shaping ocean policies that affect tribes.

Contact: Marisa Villarreal, [email protected]
2013 CA Sea Grant Fellow, Ocean Protection Council
Submitted to California Sea Grant for the State Fellows Video Contest