Just twenty miles off the coast of Los Angeles, Santa Catalina Island is home to about 4,000 people and nine marine protected areas (MPAs), including Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) and Blue Cavern Offshore SMCA. Protected from strong winds on the leeward side of Santa Catalina Island, Blue Cavern Onshore SMCA covers about 2½ nautical miles of […]
Tag Archives: mpa
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve
March 3rd, 2018
The northward path across the Golden Gate Bridge leads away from the bustle of the Bay Area, past the headlands and rolling hills of Marin, to the windy, wild coastline of Sonoma County. Here, the rocky landscape includes steep sea cliffs, pocket beaches and coves, and sea stacks that rise from the ocean depths just off […]
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Van Damme State Marine Conservation Area
November 29th, 2017
Located on the northern California coast just south of the town of Mendocino, Van Damme State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) encompasses a small, protected bay sheltered from north winds and large ocean swell. The bay is popular with freedivers, kayakers, scuba divers, and recreational anglers.
Journey to the Devil’s Teeth, a Melange of Marine Protection
October 25th, 2017
**This blog entry orginally appeared on the website oceanspaces.org.**/p> The waters outside the Golden Gate host an abundance of marine life, and a diversity of marine protection from our State MPAs to the rocks of the California Coastal National Monument to our National Marine Sanctuaries. Just outside the Golden Gate, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary […]