Long Point State Marine Reserve (SMR) is a

marine protected area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...

that includes offshore, island marine habitat off

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

's south coast. The SMR covers . The SMR protect marine life by prohibiting the removal of marine wildlife from within its borders. Long Point SMR prohibits take of all living marine resources. Please see the following for official details on boundaries, regulations and other information:

History

Long Point SMR is one of 36 new marine protected areas adopted by the

California Fish and Game Commission The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...

in December, 2010 during the third phase of the

Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

. The MLPAI is a collaborative public process to create a statewide network of protected areas along California's coastline. The south coast's new marine protected areas were designed by local divers, fishermen, conservationists and scientists who comprised the South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group. Their job was to design a network of protected areas that would preserve sensitive sea life and habitats while enhancing recreation, study and education opportunities. The south coast marine protected areas went into effect in 2012.

Geography and natural features

This MPA includes and protect diverse marine habitat including dense kelp forests, and flats and the myriad species for which they serve as habitat. The SMR includes the famous "Italian Gardens" scuba dive site. This area is bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed except where noted: # # # and # .

Habitat and wildlife

The rocky reef and kelp forest habitats in these MPAs support numerous species of invertebrates, plants, fish and marine mammals; among them are garibaldi, rockfish, octopus, gorgonians, nudibranchs, bat rays, kelp bass and many more. Long Point SMR is one of the best places in the world to see the rare giant black sea bass.

Recreation and nearby attractions

Catalina Island and its MPAs support world class diving along with numerous hiking, diving and snorkeling, kayaking, fishing and boating activities.

Scientific monitoring

As specified by the Marine Life Protection Act, select marine protected areas along California's south coast are being monitored by scientists to track their effectiveness and learn more about ocean health. Similar studies in marine protected areas located off of the

Santa Barbara Channel Islands The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, and ...

have already detected gradual improvements in fish size and number.

References

External links

Marine Life Protection Act InitiativeCalOceansCatalina Visitors Bureau
{{Protected areas of California Protected areas established in 2010 2010 establishments in California Marine sanctuaries in California