Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: South Cape Mendocino State Marine Reserve, Sugarloaf Island Special Closure, and Steamboat Rock Special Closure

MPA sign at the SMR, Steamboat Rock to the left. CDFW photo by S. Worden

Sugarloaf Island, just north of South Cape Mendocino SMR. photo by A. Zykov, CC BY-SA 2.0

Sunrise at Cape Mendocino. photo by S. Worden

Although California is the most populous state in the United States, much of the coastal area north of San Francisco is undeveloped and provides the perfect escape for those seeking a bit of solitude.

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Point Buchon State Marine Reserve and Point Buchon State Marine Conservation Area

Point Buchon State Marine Reserve and Point Buchon State Marine Conservation Area as seen from the water.
photo by E. Johnston

Along the coast of San Luis Obispo County between Morro Bay and Pismo Beach lies a scenic and sparsely populated stretch of shoreline. In 2007, a portion of the undersea and tidal habitats off the coast was designated for protection from fishing as part of California’s network of 124 marine protected areas (MPAs). Point Buchon State Marine Reserve (SMR) protects all marine resources from take, starting at the mean high tide line and extending offshore.

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Saunders Reef State Marine Conservation Area

Overlooking Saunders Reef SMCA
CDFW photo by S. Worden

From its gravel- and boulder-strewn shoreline, to the craggy bedrock of the intertidal that extends to an offshore reef and surrounding stands of bull kelp, Saunders Reef State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) is a location prized for its highly complex, diverse, and productive habitats. Saunders Reef SMCA and its regulations were adopted in 2010 by the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) as part of California’s globally recognized Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network. It is one of the 124 marine protected areas (MPAs) established statewide from 2004 to 2012 during the implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act.

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Egg (Devil’s Slide) Rock to Devil’s Slide Special Closure

View of Egg Rock from the mainland
photo by P. Gonzales

In 1986, a devastating oil spill wiped out an entire population of more than 3,000 common murres nesting on Egg Rock off the coast of San Mateo County. But this restoration story has a happy ending – over the last quarter century, the common murre population here has rebounded to more than 2,000 birds. Read on to find out how state and federal interventions assisted in this comeback…

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Begg Rock State Marine Reserve

Young rockfish over a reef covered with anemones, divers in the background. photo © Roger Carlson

Young rockfish at Begg Rock. photo © Chris Grossman, diver.net

Rock scallop amid aggregating anemones. photo © Roger Carlson

Cormorants roost atop Begg Rock. photo © Chris Grossman, diver.net

Begg Rock, a small pinnacle jutting up around 15 feet from the ocean’s surface, may not look like much to the passing eye, but below the surface its marine life is abundant. Located about eight miles northwest of San Nicolas Island and nearly 60 miles from the Southern California mainland, it is by definition “remote.”