Article Summary:

As of today, California has created a series of 19 underwater parks or Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along its coast. These include marine habitats found at Point Reyes, Big Sur, and in the north Point St. George Reef which is home to the second largest nesting seabird colony south of Alaska as well as estuarine waters at the mouth of waterways like Ten Mile River that are critical for salmon and steelhead populations. The MPAs are all close inshore, leaving coastal waters open for fishing.