Catalina Island Marine Protected Area Collaborative: California’s Island Collaborative

Educators gather for an MPA Speaker Series training held by the Catalina Island and Los Angeles MPA collaboratives
photo courtesy MPA Collaborative Network

While Los Angeles County is home to 13 of California’s 124 marine protected areas (MPAs), only four of those can be easily accessed from the mainland. The remaining nine MPAs surround Santa Catalina Island, known simply as “Catalina,” and can be reached via ferry, boat, helicopter, or private aircraft.

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Casino Point State Marine Conservation Area

Catalina Casino, and the adjacent Casino Point State Marine Conservation Area
CDFW photo

California offers some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world, thanks to its magnificent kelp forests. An underwater counterpart to the incomparable redwood forests on land, divers glide through kelp stipes and blades just as

Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area and Blue Cavern Offshore State Marine Conservation Area

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.