California adds to its ocean preserves

Matt Weiser | Sacramento Bee

On Saturday, 153 square miles of ocean between Santa Cruz and Pt. Arena officially become part of California's new marine preserve system.

This North Central Coast area is the second region of the state to complete the preserve designation process required by the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act. It includes 21 marine preserves, three recreation management areas and six special closure zones.

The reserves, adopted in August 2009, stretch from Pigeon Point near Santa Cruz in the south to Alder Creek near Pt. Arena in the north. The goal is to create rich pockets of habitat, insulated from fishing and other human pressures, where fish and other ocean wildlife can thrive and multiply.

Read the full story at sacbee.com.

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