Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area (SMRMA) and Morro Bay State Marine Reserve (SMR) are two

marine protected areas 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 provide protection for Morro Bay Estuary on California's central coast. The two marine protected areas together encompass . Within the SMRMA, fishing and take of any living marine resources is prohibited except that north of latitude 35° 19.70′ N the recreational take of finfish and aquaculture of oysters, pursuant to a valid state water bottom lease and permit, is permitted. And recreational hunting of waterfowl is allowed unless otherwise restricted by hunting regulations. The SMR protects all marine life within its boundaries. Fishing and take of any living marine resources is prohibited.

History

Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area and Morro Bay State Marine Reserve were established in September 2007 by the

California Department of Fish & Game 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 ...

. They are two of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the

Marine Life Protection Act The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) was passed in 1999 and is part of the California Fish and Game Code. The MLPA requires California to reevaluate all existing marine protected areas (MPAs) and potentially design new MPAs that together form a s ...

Initiative. The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative (or MLPAI) is a collaborative public process to create a statewide network of marine protected areas along the California coastline.

Geography and natural features

The Morro Bay marine protected areas are near the city of Morro Bay and adjoin Morro Bay State Park.

Morro Rock Morro Rock (Salinan: ''Le'samo; ''Chumash: ''Lisamu; Spanish: ''El Morro'') is a volcanic plug in Morro Bay, California, on the Pacific Coast at the entrance to Morro Bay harbor. A causeway connects it with the shore, making it a tied is ...

is a 581-foot

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if rising volatile-charged mag ...

located just offshore from Morro Bay, at the entrance to Morro Bay Harbor. The Morro Bay SMRMA includes the area below mean high tide within Morro Bay east of the Morro Bay entrance breakwater and west of longitude 120° 50.34′ W. The Morro Bay SMR includes the area below mean high tide line within Morro Bay east of longitude 120° 50.34′ W. Morro Bay, CA, jjron 23

Habitat and wildlife

Morro Bay Estuary is one of the largest and most important wetland systems on the central coast, sustaining diverse habitats that support sensitive and endangered species. Morro Bay serves as an important resting and foraging ground for migratory birds using the

Pacific Flyway The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading ...

. Large and diverse invertebrate populations inhabit the mudflats of the bay; fish use the bay as a nursery ground and dense meadows of eelgrass support a highly productive environment.

Recreation and nearby attractions

Morro Bay supports a variety of recreational activities such as bird watching, sea kayaking, and recreational fishing, and is a working commercial and sport fishing harbor.

Whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins ( cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

is one of the most well-featured attractions in the area, targeting various migratory species most notably humpback,

gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

minke The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...

, and

blue whales The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

. Various

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pa ...

s, seals, sea lions, and

sea otter The sea otter (''Enhydra lutris'') is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the small ...

s are also visible. Area parks include Morro Bay State Park,

Morro Strand State Beach Morro Strand State Beach (formerly Atascadero State Beach) is a protected beach within California's state park system located in north Morro Bay along California State Route 1. Morro Strand is a popular coastal frontage park on Estero Bay ...

and Montana de Oro State Park which provide hiking trails and campgrounds. Morro Bay State Park includes a Museum of Natural History. California's marine protected areas encourage recreational and educational uses of the ocean. Activities such as kayaking, diving, snorkeling, and swimming are allowed unless otherwise restricted.

Scientific monitoring

As specified by the Marine Life Protection Act, select marine protected areas along California's central 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 have already detected gradual improvements in fish size and number.Castell, Jenn, et al.
How do patterns of abundance and size structure differ between fished and unfished waters in the Channel Islands? Results from SCUBA surveys
. Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) at University of California, Santa Barbara and University of California, Santa Cruz; Channel Islands National Park. Retrieved December 18, 2008. Local scientific and educational institutions involved in the monitoring include Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, University of California Santa Cruz, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Research methods include hook-and-line sampling, intertidal and scuba diver surveys, and the use of

remote operated vehicle A remotely operated underwater vehicle (technically ROUV or just ROV) is a tethered underwater mobile device, commonly called ''underwater robot''. Definition This meaning is different from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the a ...

(ROV) submarines.

References

External links

California State Parks: official Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area and Morro Bay State Marine Reserve websiteCalifornia MPAsMarine Life Protection Act InitiativeCalOceansMorro Bay State ParkMorro Strand State Beach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area And Morro Bay State Marine Reserve California State Reserves Morro Bay Marine reserves of the United States Protected areas of San Luis Obispo County, California 2007 establishments in California Protected areas established in 2007