Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve/State Marine Conservation Area

Elkhorn Slough is situated on the inland edge of Monterey Canyon, a submarine canyon that plunges more than a mile deep. Thousands of years ago, when sea level was almost 400 feet lower than it is today, a river flowed through Elkhorn Valley to Monterey Bay. When sea levels began to rise approximately 18,000 years ago, ocean water flooded the area where the river emptied into the sea, creating Elkhorn Slough.

Elkhorn Slough, like other estuaries, is characterized by quiet waters protected from the pounding surf, creating a calm backwater environment with muddy shores. Many of the invertebrates that form the basis of the food web here live in the mud. These animals have evolved to withstand large daily fluctuations in salt, temperature, and oxygen. Flatfishes, bat rays, leopard sharks, and the longjaw mudsucker are some of the fish that roam the channels and waterways of Elkhorn Slough, while harbor seals and sea lions foray into the slough to hunt and haul out on the muddy banks at low tide.

Elkhorn Slough also boasts the greatest number of threatened southern sea otters in the world and was the first estuary to be re-colonized by the mammals. This estuary is designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention and classified as an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society for its critically important wetland habitat and location along the Pacific Flyway. In spring, look for ruddy turnstones, pigeon guillemots, and sooty shearwaters. Summer is a great time to look for Caspian terns, while fall and winter months offer ample opportunity to see flocks of surf scoters, black-bellied plovers, western sandpipers, and marbled godwits. At peak times, Elkhorn Slough may have an estimated 30,000 seabirds and shorebirds using its calm waters and vegetation for food and shelter.

For centuries, Native American Tribes in California have relied on marine and coastal resources. Many Native American Tribes in California continue to regularly harvest marine resources within their ancestral territories and maintain relationships with the coast for ongoing customary uses. The area around Elkhorn Slough is within the historical range of Ohlone, or Costanoan, peoples. They gathered mussels, clams, and oysters from the mudflats and hunted rays and fish. Today, the Ohlone maintain a presence along the Central Coast, with individuals living throughout the region and continuing traditional practices.

The first Spanish contact was the Cabrillo Expedition of 1542, with European settlement beginning in the Mission Era of the 1700s. In 1848, a boom in population, driven by the gold rush, created a dramatic increase in demand for food. In 1866, a 61-meter wharf and warehouses were built in Moss Landing for whalers, fishermen, and salt pond operators to store products to be transferred to schooners before transport. To reclaim the wetland for farming, draining of the slough began in the 1900s. In the 1940s, the harbor mouth was fortified by blasting through the barrier dunes, providing a safe harbor for the commercial fleet and drastically changing water circulation within Elkhorn Slough.

Restoration of the Slough began in 1971 when the Nature Conservancy started buying land along the upper Elkhorn Slough to protect remaining estuary habitat. Soon thereafter, the California Coastal Commission nominated Elkhorn Slough for federal estuarine sanctuary protection. With the 1980 purchase of Elkhorn Dairy lands, CDFW created the Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve, which is now the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Today Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing Harbor support thriving economies in tourism, commercial fishing, and marine and coastal research, demonstrating that these three types of activity can coexist sustainably.

Elkhorn Slough offers a wide array of exciting recreational opportunities, including wildlife viewing, kayaking, duck hunting, and nature tours. While no take is allowed within the SMR, there are still plenty of other recreational activities for visitors. Many birders consider Elkhorn Slough one of the best bird viewing locations on the West Coast. For nature lovers and wildlife photographers, the abundant sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals all but guarantee excellent observation opportunities. Hiking trails are accessible at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Visitor Center and the Moss Landing Wildlife Area.

An alternative way to experience Elkhorn Slough is by boat. Several kayak rental and boat tour companies are located off Highway 1 and provide opportunities to explore otherwise inaccessible parts of the wetland and see wildlife from incredible vantage points. All take is prohibited within the SMR, but recreational anglers are welcome to fish for finfish by hook-and-line within the SMCA. Clamming is also permitted in the SMCA, but limited to the north shore, in the area adjacent to the Moss Landing State Wildlife Area.

Coordinates

Elkhorn Slough SMR

This area includes the waters below mean high tide within Elkhorn Slough lying east of longitude 121° 46.400′ W. and south of latitude 36° 50.500′ N.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(70)

Elkhorn Slough SMCA

This area includes the waters below mean high tide within Elkhorn Slough east of the Highway 1 Bridge and west of longitude 121° 46.400′ W.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(71)

Downloads for Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve

Map

Facts, Map & Regulations

Downloads for Elkhorn Slough State Marine Conservation Area

Map

Facts, Map & Regulations