Tijuana River Mouth State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) 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 extends offshore of southern

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

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 SMCA covers . The SMCA protects marine life by limiting the removal of marine wildlife from within its borders. Swami's SMCA prohibits take of all living marine resources except: recreational take of coastal

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...

species, except market squid by hand-held dip net only, is allowed. Commercial take of coastal pelagic species, except market squid, by round haul net only is allowed. Take pursuant to beach nourishment and other sediment management activities and operation and maintenance of artificial structures inside the conservation area is allowed per any required federal, state and local permits, or as otherwise authorized by the department. Please see the following for official details on boundaries, regulations and other information:California Department of Fish and Game.

.

History

Tijuana River Mouth SMCA 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 went into effect 2012.

Geography and natural features

Tijuana River Mouth SMCA extends offshore of southern San Diego County along the Imperial Beach area, including US waters along the US–Mexico Border. This area is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed except where noted: # # thence southeastward along the three nautical mile offshore boundary to # and # .

Habitat and wildlife

This MPA is geographically connected with Tijuana River Estuary, a National Estuarine Research Reserve site, *

Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is located in the most southwestern corner of the contiguous United States. As a National Wildlife Refuge, it is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was established in 1980. The refuge fo ...

creating the most intact contiguous estuarine/marine complex in the Southern California bioregion. The MPA includes a river mouth delta, soft sea floor sediment, the largest south coast region of offshore cobble reef at 3 by 3 km, a major barred sand bass spawning area, a persistent

kelp bed Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...

, surfgrass, and a freshwater plume.

References

External links

Marine Life Protection Act Initiative
{{Protected areas of California Protected areas of San Diego County, California Protected areas established in 2010 2010 establishments in California Marine sanctuaries in California