The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) was created in 2004 to help protect, conserve, and maintain healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and the economies they support. The OPC works with diverse interests and provides the leadership needed to meet the accelerating and complex challenges of our time as set forth in the California Ocean Protection Act (COPA) (SB 1319, Burton 2004).
The OPC is meeting the challenges ahead with foresight, leadership, sound science, and a deep commitment to making tangible progress. In California, the OPC is plays the critical role of strategically deploying state assets, coordinating across sectors, and productively engaging the state’s extraordinary scientific community. California’s leadership in ocean management is a model for other states, the nation, and the world.