Moro Cojo Estuary 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 con ...

established to protect the wildlife and habitats in Moro Cojo Slough. Moro Cojo Slough is located inland from

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by ...

on the central coast of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, directly south of the more widely known Elkhorn Slough. The area covers . The SMR protects all marine life within its boundaries. Fishing and take of all living marine resources is prohibited.

History

The Moro Cojo SMR was established in September 2007 by the California Fish and Game Commission. It was one of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the Marine Life Protection Act 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. Within Moro Cojo SMR all living marine resources are protected.

Geography and natural features

Moro Cojo SMR is near the Moss Landing State Wildlife Area, the Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve and the Elkhorn Slough State Marine Conservation Area. Moro Cojo SMR includes the waters within Moro Cojo Slough below mean high tide and east of the

Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

Bridge and west of the crossing of the Southern Pacific railroad tracks.

Habitat and wildlife

Moro Cojo Slough provides representation of rare brackish habitats that support threatened species. Habitat types include mudflats, tidal creeks and channels. Moro Cojo and nearby Elkhorn sloughs host year-round residents tightly associated with

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environme ...

, such as

pickleweed Pickleweed is a common name used for two unrelated genera of flowering plants: *'' Batis'', family Bataceae *''Salicornia ''Salicornia'' is a genus of succulent, halophytic (salt tolerant) flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae that grow ...

, eelgrass,

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

s, gaper clams, and longjaw mudsuckers, as well as important seasonal visitors such as migratory shorebirds, sea otters, and sharks and rays.

Recreation and nearby attractions

The nearby Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and Elkhorn Slough Foundation provide on-site management, education, and stewardship and offer public access via of trails, as well as a Visitor Center and volunteer opportunities. Also nearby is the Moss Landing Wildlife Area which protects of salt ponds and

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

. Limited recreation is permitted within the Wildlife Area. 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 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, an ...

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.

References

External links

Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research ReserveMarine Life Protection Act InitiativeCalOceansPartnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO)
{{authority control Estuaries of California Marine sanctuaries in California California Department of Fish and Wildlife areas Protected areas of Monterey County, California Landforms of Monterey County, California Protected areas established in 2007 2007 establishments in California