The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the California Department of Fish and Game have finalized a recommendation for the designation of a no-take marine reserve network around the Channel Islands, on the US Pacific Coast. The recommendation represents the culmination of two years of consensus-based discussions among a variety of interest groups (MPA News 2:10); it will be presented to the California Fish and Game Commission on 24 August 2001. To download the recommendation document, go to http://www.cinms.nos.noaa.gov/cimpa2.html.

The US Department of Commerce has reopened its search process for nominees to serve on the Federal Advisory Committee on Marine Protected Areas. A copy of the call for nominations is available at http://www.mpa.gov/. The deadline for nominations is 15 September 2001.