Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs)
What are marine protected areas (MPAs)?
MPAs are named, discrete geographic marine or estuarine areas designed to protect or conserve marine life and habitat.
What can I do in an MPA?
Swimming, wading, boating, diving and surfing are allowed in MPAs.
How do I know where an MPA is?
Most MPA boundaries are designed to use major onshore landmarks and simple due north/south or east/west lines for easy recognition. You can go to this map to get a better view of these areas: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs
How do MPAs affect existing fisheries regulations and closures?
MPAs are not intended to replace existing regulations. They are intended to allow for interactions between both fished and unfished species to occur in a more natural setting.