A group appointed by the director of the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) for each MLPA study region, for the purpose of contributing their knowledge about local resources and resource uses to help create a regional profile and redesign the region’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The regional stakeholder group worked to develop MPA proposals that were reviewed and evaluated by a science advisory team (SAT), the California Department of Fish and Game, MLPA Initiative staff, and a policy-level blue ribbon task force (BRTF). Based on these evaluations and public input, MPA proposals were then refined by the RSG and presented to the BRTF.