Pyramid Point State Marine Conservation Area is an offshore

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 ...

located one mile south of the Oregon border in Del Norte County, California. This area protects ocean waters within three miles of the shoreline of the Oregon border, south to roughly three-tenths of a mile north of Prince Island. Within Pyramid Point, fishing and take of all living marine resources is prohibited except for the recreational take of surf smelt by dip net or Hawaiian type throw net.

History

In June 2012, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously 3-to-0 to designate waters in Pyramid Point, along with critical ocean habits in northern California, as Marine Protected Areas. The vote marked the completion of the United States' first state network of underwater parks, protecting California coastal areas and important wildlife and habitats, which help the state's tourism industry, hotels and restaurant that depend on healthy fish populations and beautiful coasts to attract guests. According to the National Ocean Economics Program, California's coast and ocean generate $22 billion in revenue and sustain 350,000 jobs each year. The Pyramid Point Marine Conservation Area will be implemented on December 19, 2012, according to the California Department of Fish and Game.

Geography

The California Department of Fish and Game said future marine protected area “is bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed: 42° 00.000' N. lat. 124° 12.735' W. long.; 42° 00.000' N. lat. 124° 19.814' W. long.; thence southward along the three nautical mile offshore boundary to 41° 57.500' N. lat. 124° 17.101' W. long.; and 41° 57.500' N. lat. 124° 12.423' W. long.

Habitat and wildlife

Pyramid Point will support Aleutian cackling geese and other breeding birds, including some of California's only breeding

fork-tailed storm petrel The fork-tailed storm petrel (''Hydrobates furcatus'') is a small seabird of the storm petrel family Hydrobatidae. It is the second-most abundant and widespread storm petrel (after Leach's storm petrel) and is the only bird in its family that is ...

s and

tufted puffin The tufted puffin (''Fratercula cirrhata''), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean. It is one of three species of puffin that make ...

. The area is also home to breeding grounds for

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

, the

black-crowned night-heron The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and ...

and the farthest north group of

snowy egret The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...

in the western United States. In addition, the area provides feeding ground for sea lions, dolphins and other large sea animals, and shelter fo
nearshore rockfish

Recreation and nearby attractions

Pyramid Point is connected to the

Pelican State Beach Pelican State Beach is a designated California State Beach located in Del Norte County, California. Located north of Crescent City on US Route 101 near the town of Smith River, this undeveloped site is immediately south of the Oregon state line ...

, which is undeveloped and is immediately south of the Oregon border. Kite flying, shore angling and beach combing are popular activities at the park.

References

External links

Marine Life Protection Act InitiativeCalOceansCalifornia Marine Protected Areas Educational Resources
{{authority control Marine sanctuaries in California California Department of Fish and Wildlife areas Protected areas of Del Norte County, California Klamath Mountains Protected areas established in 2012 2012 establishments in California