Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

California’s ocean is home to one of the most biologically diverse and productive marine ecosystems in the world, providing vital environmental, economic, and cultural resources. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) runs the world’s longest-running integrated ocean ecosystem sampling program in the California Current Ecosystem. The physical, chemical, and biological processes of the California Current are monitored to understand ocean currents that influence the climate and ecosystems of the area. Their data is also used to track the abundance and distribution of various marine organisms, which can then be leveraged to support the sustainable management of fishing and aquaculture, conservation efforts, and the siting and development of offshore renewable energy (Monroe, 2024). CalCOFI data is used by oceanographers, meteorologists, state and federal government entities, and organizations across sectors. With many stakeholders engaged with the long-term data, and many more interested in becoming engaged, it is imperative that CalCOFI understands user needs to inform their decision-making related to operations and data collection (Mackenzie, 2019). Incorporating a user-centric perspective in understanding the respective value of each CalCOFI monitoring station, the seasons in which data is collected, which data is being used, and what the data is being used for, is a key step in this process. To this end, I partnered with CalCOFI to create tools to better understand the value of CalCOFI data with the goal of informing their operational decision making. The methodology applied to achieve these results included stakeholder identification, stakeholder surveying, analysis of results, and mapping. The deliverables include a master list of current and potential stakeholders, a survey platform for continued assessment, and a GIS story map to collate and present the survey findings. Creating tools for continued assessment will allow CalCOFI to gain a more complete understanding of their data usage, and to inform decision making and resource allocation at the operational level. In this paper, I discuss the methodology and outcomes of the project.