Point Arena State Marine Reserve/State Marine Conservation Area, and Sea Lion Cove State Marine Conservation Area

The MPAs at Point Arena encompass coastal bluffs and pocket coves on land, and sandy seafloors, rocky reefs, walls, and pinnacles at sea. Strong upwelling brings cold, nutrient-rich water from the depths to the surface, making the nearshore ecosystems highly productive. The nutrient-rich waters support abundant plankton populations, which in turn support the rest of the marine food web.

Whales travel year-round past this large headland. Blue and humpback whales migrate between April and December, and gray whales can be sighted from December through April. Seabirds dive beneath the surface to feast on small fish such as anchovies and sardines. Rocky reefs offer vital habitat for kelp, scallops, anemones, basket stars, and gorgonians, while mobile invertebrates, like red sea urchins, purple urchins, sea cucumbers, sea stars, and nudibranchs (sea slugs) hide in the crevices of the rocky reef. Within kelp forests, schools of blue rockfish and black rockfish actively search for food while lingcod lie in wait among the rocks to ambush their prey. Away from rocks and boulders, sea pens, sea whips, and anemones create the only three-dimensional structure along a sandy seafloor. Dungeness crab are occasionally spotted scurrying past more sedentary sea stars, and the sandy backdrop offers ideal camouflage for flatfish.

Sea Lion Cove is in the middle of a two-mile stretch of California coast called the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This coastline is characterized by several unique geologic features including both collapsed and intact sea caves such as the Devil’s Punchbowl, Satan’s Hole, and the Witches Cauldron Hole. The sea caves, which are nearly horizontal, stand in contrast to the steep, vertical rock forms on shore. This topography creates a rich intertidal ecosystem, notably unique due to the changing rock formations so close to fault lines. Years of erosion have created excellent hiding spots within the rock formations for fish and invertebrates such as rockfish, lingcod, mussels, abalone, and sea stars.

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 Point Arena region is the traditional territory of the Pomo, a large and diverse group of semi-nomadic people. The Pomo relied on the productive coast for their traditional diet of fish, invertebrates, and plants from the area, with salmon and acorns as staples.

This area was frequented by Russians and native Alaskan hunters as early as 1812 and settled by Mexican landowners in the 1840s. Coastal towns were built by the 1850s as the fur trade grew. Point Arena’s sheltered cove offered protection from the rough Pacific, and served as a harbor for transporting timber, gold, and fish. The first wharf was built in 1866, turning Point Arena into a bustling shipping port for redwood and other goods.

In 1866, the United States government ordered the construction of a lighthouse on Point Arena to protect ships traveling in the challenging ocean conditions north of San Francisco. The original lighthouse was badly damaged by the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco. A second lighthouse was built a year later. Standing at 115 feet tall, the Point Arena Lighthouse still holds the original Fresnel lens and casts a beam of light visible to ships 20 miles out to sea.

The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands are located adjacent to the MPAs, affording visitors sweeping vistas of the Pacific on their way to the Point Arena Lighthouse. The lighthouse hosts a small museum and visitors center, with lodging for those who want to spend the night there.

The coastal trails offer visitors opportunities to watch waves crashing against the bluffs, observe seals and sea lions hauled out on the rocks to rest, and the chance to spy a passing whale as it swims through the nutrient-rich waters. Bird watchers can also observe seabirds including black oystercatchers as they scour the rocks for a meal, and pelagic cormorants and pigeon guillemots diving beneath the surface to feed on small fish.

Arena Rock is a popular scuba diving site. Remember when visiting the SMR, no take is allowed as all marine resources are protected. Point Arena SMCA only allows trolling for salmon; all other take is prohibited there. In the Sea Lion Cove SMCA, finfish may be taken, but no other take is allowed.

Point Arena SMR

This area is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed:

38^o 57.350 ′ N. lat. 123^o 44.500 ′ W. long;
38^o 59.000 ′ N. lat. 123^o 44.500 ′ W. long;
38^o 59.000 ′ N. lat. 123^o 46.000 ′ W. long;
38^o 56.400 ′ N. lat. 123^o 46.000 ′ W. long; and
38^o 56.400 ′ N. lat. 123^o 43.820 ′ W. long.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(28)

Point Arena SMCA

This area is bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed except where noted:

38^o 59.000 ′ N. lat. 123^o 46.000 ′ W. long.;
38^o 59.000 ′ N. lat. 123^o 48.162 ′ W. long.; thence southward along the three nautical mile offshore boundary to
38^o 56.400 ′ N. lat. 123^o 48.350 ′ W. long.;
38^o 56.400 ′ N. lat. 123^o 46.000 ′ W. long.; and
38^o 59.000 ′ N. lat. 123^o 46.000 ′ W. long.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(29)

Sea Lion Cove SMCA

This area is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed:

38^o 56.400 ′ N. lat. 123^o 43.820 ′ W. long.;
38^o 56.400 ′ N. lat. 123^o 44.000 ′ W. long.;
38^o 55.790 ′ N. lat. 123^o 44.000 ′ W. long.; and
38^o 55.790 ′ N. lat. 123^o 43.740 ′ W. long.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(30)

Downloads for Point Arena State Marine Reserve

Map

Facts, Map & Regulations

Downloads for Point Arena State Marine Conservation Area

Map

Facts, Map & Regulations

Downloads for Sea Lion Cove State Marine Conservation Area

Map

Facts, Map & Regulations