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Did the Marine Life Protection Act affect California all at once?

MLPA, MPAs, legislation, study regions, bioregions

No. A regional approach was used to redesign MPAs along California's 1,100-mile coast

The state was divided into five study regions:

  • Central Coast Study Region (Pigeon Point to Point Conception)
  • North Central Coast Study Region (Alder Creek near Point Arena to Pigeon Point, including the Farallon Islands)
  • South Coast Study Region (Point Conception to the California/Mexico border)
  • North Coast Study Region (California/Oregon border to Alder Creek near Point Arena)
  • San Francisco Bay Study Region (waters within San Francisco Bay, from the Golden Gate Bridge northeast to Carquinez Bridge)

These five regions were implemented in a step-wise fashion:

  • September 2007: Regulations implemented for Central Coast Study Region
  • May 2010: Regulations implemented for North Central Coast Study Region
  • January 2012: Regulations implemented for South Coast Study Region
  • December 2012: Regulations implemented for North Coast Study Region
  • The San Francisco Bay Study Region is the fifth and final study region that will be considered under the MLPA

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Updated on Wed, 12 Feb 2025 by amanda.vandiggelen@wildlife.ca.gov