Point Sur State Marine Reserve/State Marine Conservation Area

large plateaus extend out into the ocean forming a crescent shaped beach

Overview

Point Sur State Marine Reserve (SMR) and Point Sur State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) are located 25 miles south of Monterey in Big Sur, along California’s Central Coast. The SMR spans more than five miles of shoreline from Point Sur to Cooper Point at the southern end of Andrew Molera State Park. Taken together, the two marine protected areas (MPAs) encompass approximately 20 square miles of sandy seafloor, tidal flats, surfgrass, and rocky pinnacles, as well as the shallowest portions of Sur Canyon, a submarine canyon that reaches depths greater than 600 feet within the SMCA.

The diverse topography creates niches for marine invertebrates like mussels, crabs, anemones, limpets, and sea stars. Caverns, outcroppings, and overhangs created by the complex rocky reef provide habitat for innumerable fish and invertebrates. Rockfish, sculpin, bat rays, cabezon and lingcod thrive in the nearshore kelp forests. Marine mammals like sea otters and harbor seals seek shelter near shore and often go ashore to rest. In deeper waters, salmon and albacore migrate along the coast. The shoreline is accessible near Andrew Molera State Park, and the SMR is also easily viewed from turnouts along Highway 1.

Regulations

Point Sur SMR

It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(83)(opens in new tab)

Point Sur SMCA

It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource, EXCEPT:

Recreational and commercial take of salmon and albacore is allowed.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(84)(opens in new tab)

Quick Facts

Point Sur SMR

MPA size: 9.79 square miles

Shoreline span: 5.5 miles

Depth range: 0 to 183 feet

Habitat composition*:

  • Rock: 7.89 square miles
  • Sand/mud: 6.13 square miles

Point Sur SMCA

MPA size: 10.62 square miles

Depth range: 139 to 624 feet

Habitat composition*:

  • Sand/mud: 9.81 square miles
  • Rock: 0.81 square miles

*Habitat calculations are based on three-dimensional area and may exceed the total MPA area listed above.

About Point Sur State Marine Reserve/State Marine Conservation Area

Photo Gallery

10 OCT
2022

Brown pelicans and western gulls in Point Sur SMR

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photo © J. W. F. Chu, CC BY-NC 2.0

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Marine Region (Region 7)
Regional Manager: Dr. Craig Shuman
Main Office: 20 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Suite 100, Monterey, CA  93940
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