Año Nuevo State Marine Conservation Area
Encyclopedia
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
and Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
Counties, on California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
’s central coast.The area is approximately 55 miles south of San Francisco. The SMCA is 11.07 square miles. Except for limited taking of giant kelp
Macrocystis
Macrocystis is a genus of kelp . This genus contains the largest of all the phaeophyceae or brown algae. Macrocystis has pneumatocysts at the base of its blades. Sporophytes are perennial, and individual stipes may persist for many years...
, all living marine resources are protected.
History
The Año Nuevo SMCA was established in September 2007 by the California Department of Fish and GameCalifornia Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
. It was one of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative
Marine Life Protection Act
The Marine Life Protection Act was passed in 1999 and is part of the California Fish and Game Code. The MLPA requires California to reevaluate all existing marine protected areas and potentially design new MPAs that together function as a statewide network. The MLPA has clear guidance associated...
. The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative (or MLPAI) is a collaborative public process to create a statewide network of marine protected areas along the California coastline.
The SMCA was designed to protect marine life while keeping nearby favored recreational fishing grounds open to fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. Important fishing grounds to the north of Point Año Nuevo and from Moss Landing to Davenport remain open to fishing.
Geography and natural features
Año Nuevo SMCA is adjacent to Ano Nuevo State Park, and includes the waters surrounding Point Ano Nuevo and Ano Nuevo IslandAño Nuevo Island
Año Nuevo Island is a small island off Año Nuevo Point on the coast of Northern California, between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. It is an important breeding site for Northern Elephant Seals and the endangered Steller's Sea Lion, as well as several species of seabirds, including Rhinoceros...
. Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area
Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area
Greyhound Rock State Marine Conservation Area is one of two adjoining marine protected areas off the coast of San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County, on California’s central coast. The area is approximately south of San Francisco. The SMCA is...
adjoins the site to the south.
This marine protected area is bounded by the mean high tide line and a distance of 200 feet seaward of mean lower low water between the following two points: and.
The area then continues southward bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed: and.
Habitat and wildlife
Point Año Nuevo is used by thousands of breeding seabirds and marine mammals and supports a world famous elephant sealElephant seal
Elephant seals are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. There are two species: the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal . Both were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but numbers have since recovered...
haul out and breeding ground. The waters surrounding the point attract a concentration of great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
s and include documented “hotspots” for depleted canary rockfish
Canary rockfish
The canary rockfish is a rockfish of the Pacific coast, found from south of Shelikof Strait in the eastern Gulf of Alaska to Punta Colnett in northern Baja California.-Species description:...
. Threatened marbled murrelet
Marbled Murrelet
The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow...
s rest on shore and forage in the lee of the point.
Ano Nuevo SMCA provides habitat for a variety of marine life, and includes rocky intertidal, sandy beach, estuary, offshore rocks and islands, shale reef, bull kelp and giant kelp forest.
Recreation and nearby attractions
The adjacent State Parks have extensive docent programs (including docent lead tours to the elephant seal colony during the months of December through March in Ano Nuevo State Reserve), outreach and interpretive facilities, parking, and an on-site ranger presence to assist with management and enforcement.California’s marine protected areas encourage recreational and educational uses of the ocean. Activities such as kayaking, diving, snorkeling, and swimming are allowed unless otherwise restricted.