16.5% of Local Coastline Designated Marine Protected Areas

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It was a landmark day yesterday for those working to preserve marine life in Southern California, as the California Fish and Game Commission approved a set of Marine Protected Areas, serving as " the final step in a multi-year collaborative process to establish a network of safe havens for marine life throughout the region," according to Heal the Bay.

The Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, are designated at three levels, and affect fishing, but not other recreational usage:

- Fully protective State Marine Reserves (no fishing is allowed)
- State Marine Parks (commercial fishing is prohibited but recreational fishing is allowed)
- State Marine Conservation Areas (commercial and recreational fishing are allowed in limited amounts)

About 16.5 percent of our local coastlines are covered by MPAs, including areas east of Point Dume in Malibu, at Zuma Beach, in Palos Verde, at Farnsworth Banks, and on Catalina A .pdf of the map is availble on the California Department of Fish and Game's website.