UCSB ocean engineer Dirk Rosen will discuss the Recovery and Demise of Marine Protected Areas in the Channel Islands, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13, at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM), 113 Harbor Way.

Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands pioneered the implementation of networked Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in 2003. This California conservation mandate resulted in the creation of 124 networked reserves the state has today, the largest such network.

Marine Applied Research & Exploration (MARE), a nonprofit founded by Rosen, was formed to fill the knowledge gap in deep-sea ecosystems through deployment of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

Dirk’s presentation will cover the collaborative work of the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary, Department of Fish and Game and MARE, deploying ROVs inside and outside MPAs to document change over time to fish and invertebrate populations.

So far the results are mostly promising, with large increases in abundance of most targeted fish species over the past 15 years. Deep-sea video will showcase the health, biodiversity and challenges down deep, in one of the world’s richest ecosystems.

Rosen has 30-plus years in deep-sea equipment design, building and operations experience with ROVs, manned submersibles and tow sleds.

He has led or co-led 37 ocean expeditions assessing MPAs, characterizing National Marine Sanctuaries, performing fish-stock assessments, evaluating impacts of wave power, recovering lost equipment at sea, and removing derelict fishing gear.

Rosen and MARE have performed a census of California’s network of MPAs from Mexico to the Oregon border since 2003.

Previously, Rosen was president of Deep Ocean Engineering, a test pilot for all three Deep Rover 1,000 meter-rated manned submersibles, and co-designer of hundreds of ROVs.

Later, at Hawkes Ocean Technologies, he managed the construction of Challenger, an 11,000 meter-rated manned submersible designed to explore the Marianas Trench.

Rosen also worked with NASA for five years, helping implement robotic standards now used on the International Space Station.

Cost to attend the lecture is $10 for SBMM members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at www.sbmm.org or call 805-456-8747. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. for members, 6:45 p.m. for non-members.

Event sponsor is Marie L. Morrisroe.

For more about the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, visit sbmm.org or call 805-962-8404 for details.

— Rita Serotkin for Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.