Contact Information
Main Office: 20 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Suite 100
Monterey, CA 93940
Information: (831) 649-2870, AskMarine@wildlife.ca.gov
Regional Manager:
Craig Shuman
Regional MPA Statistics
The following is a north to south regional summary of marine protected area (MPA) and other marine managed area classifications that occur within each region.
North Coast Region: This region covers approximately 1,027 square miles (sq mi) of state waters from the California/Oregon border south to Alder Creek near Point Arena (Mendocino County). A network of 20 marine managed areas (including 19 MPAs and one state marine recreational management area) covers approximately 137 sq mi1 of state waters or about 13% of the north coast region. These marine managed areas, along with seven special closures, were adopted June 6, 2012 by the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) and went into effect December 19, 2012.
| Type of Protected Area | Count | Area (sq mi) in North Coast State Waters | Percent of North Coast State Waters |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMR | 6 | 51.28 | 4.99% |
| SMCA | 13 | 85.32 | 8.30% |
| SMRMA | 1 | 0.81 | 0.08% |
| Special Closures1 | 7 | 0.20 | 0.02% |
| Total1 | 20 | 137.41 | 13.37% |
1 Totals do not include special closures.
North-Central Coast Region: This region covers approximately 763 sq mi of state waters from Alder Creek near Point Arena (Mendocino County) south to Pigeon Point (San Mateo County). A network of 25 marine managed areas (including 22 MPAs and three state marine recreational management areas) covers approximately 152 sq mi1 of state waters or about 20% of the north central coast region. These marine managed areas, along with six special closures, were adopted August 5, 2009 by the Commission and went into effect May 1, 2010.
| Type of Protected Area | Count | Area (sq mi) in North Central Coast State Waters | Percent of North Central Coast State Waters |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMR | 10 | 84.24 | 11.04% |
| SMCA | 12 | 67.61 | 8.86% |
| SMRMA | 3 | 0.56 | 0.07% |
| Special Closures1 | 6 | 1.16 | 0.15% |
| Total1 | 25 | 152.41 | 19.97% |
1 Totals do not include special closures.
Central Coast Region: This region covers approximately 1,144 sq mi of state waters from Pigeon Point (San Mateo County) south to Point Conception (Santa Barbara County). A network of 29 marine managed areas (including 28 MPAs and one state marine recreational management area) covers approximately 207 sq mi1 of state waters or about 18% of the central coast region. These marine managed areas were adopted April 13, 2007 by the Commission and went into effect September 21, 2007.
| Type of Protected Area | Count | Area (sq mi) in Central Coast State Waters | Percent of Central Coast State Waters |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMR | 13 | 86.25 | 7.54% |
| SMCA | 14 | 111.21 | 9.72% |
| SMCA/SMP1 | 1 | 6.26 | 0.55% |
| SMRMA | 1 | 3.07 | 0.27% |
| Total2 | 29 | 206.79 | 18.08% |
1 SMCA/SMP - The California Fish and Game Commission designated Cambria SMCA, which was subsequently also adopted as Cambria SMP by the State Park and Recreation Commission (August 2010) with the same boundaries and no change to regulations. Therefore, this marine protected area has dual designations, as reflected in the table.
2 Totals do not include special closures.
South Coast Region: This region covers approximately 2,351 sq mi of state waters from Point Conception (Santa Barbara County) south to the California/Mexico border, including state waters around the Channel Islands. A network of 50 MPAs (including the 13 previously established at the northern Channel Islands that were retained without change) covers approximately 355 sq mi1 of state waters or about 15% of the south coast region. These marine managed areas, along with two special closures, were adopted December 15, 2010 by the Commission and went into effect on January 1, 2012.
| Type of Protected Area | Count | Area (sq mi) in South Coast State Waters | Percent of South Coast State Waters |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMR | 19 | 241.46 | 10.27% |
| SMCA (no-take) | 10 | 33.60 | 1.43% |
| SMCA | 21 | 80.36 | 3.42% |
| Special Closures1 | 2 | 1.89 | 0.08% |
| Total1 | 50 | 355.42 | 15.12% |
1 Totals include northern Channel Islands MPAs (effective since 2003), and do not include special closures.
Statewide Totals: California covers a total of approximately 5,285 sq mi of coastal state waters (excluding state waters in San Francisco Bay which represent approximately 473 sq mi). The statewide coastal network includes 124 marine managed areas (including 119 MPAs and five state marine recreational management areas) that cover approximately 852 sq mi1 of state waters or about 16% of all coastal state waters (approximately 9% is in SMRs). There are also 15 special closures statewide.
| Type of Protected Area | Count | Area (sq mi) in All Coastal State Waters1 |
Percent of All Coastal State Waters1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMR | 48 | 463.23 | 8.76% |
| SMCA (no-take) | 10 | 33.60 | 0.64% |
| SMCA | 60 | 344.50 | 6.52% |
| SMCA/SMP2 | 1 | 6.26 | 0.12% |
| SMRMA | 5 | 4.43 | 0.08% |
| Special Closures3 | 15 | 3.25 | 0.06% |
| Total3 | 124 | 852.02 | 16.12% |
1 Excluding state waters in San Francisco Bay.
2 The California Fish and Game Commission designated Cambria SMCA, which was subsequently also adopted as Cambria SMP by the State Park and Recreation Commission (August 2010) with the same boundaries and no change to regulations. Therefore, this marine protected area has dual designations, as reflected in the table.
3 Statewide totals include all MPAs effective in the north coast, north central coast, central coast, and south coast regions, and do not include special closures or existing MPAs in the San Francisco Bay.