Regional Profile of the MLPA South Coast Study Region (Point Conception to the California-Mexico Border)
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California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Regional Profile of the MLPA South Coast Study Region (Point Conception to the California-Mexico Border) June 25, 2009 This is the 2nd printed edition, June 25, 2009. First printed edition September 15, 2008. California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative c/o California Natural Resources Agency 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311 Sacramento, CA 95814 http://www.dfg.ca.gov /mlpa [email protected] Acknowledgements and credits: The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative thanks the many persons and organizations who supplied information in response to the first printed draft of this profile. Credits for cover photos: Garibaldi and kelp – iStockphoto/Tammy Peluso; Starfish – Reuben E. Reynoso; Coast – iStockphoto/Amy Dala; Shore fisher – iStockphoto/David Gunn; Pelican – iStockphoto/Robert Deal; Santa Barbara Harbor – iStockphoto/Chris Scredon; Surfer – iStockphoto/Ian McDonnell How to Use This Document This is the second printed edition of the Regional Profile of the South Coast Study Region (Point Conception to the California-Mexico Border). Both versions have been created with the intention of supplying stakeholders with knowledge crucial to the process of developing and evaluating proposals for Marine Protected Areas in the study region. How We Have Made the Book Easier to Use The list of acronyms and abbreviations has been placed inside the back cover, where it is easy to find. We have made it easier to find the full details for works cited in the text. In all cases in which an organization is cited by an acronym, we have inserted the the full reference in the References Cited list by exactly the acronym used in the inline citation in the text. In these cases, the full name of the entity is included in the first entry for that entity in the References Cited list. We have moved the list of References Cited to the very back of the book, to make it easier to find. Except for the gallery of maps, the entire contents of the book—including appendices—are page-numbered in a single sequence, and all tables and figures, including those in appendices, are listed in the tables of Tables and Figures at the front of the book. We have enhanced readability by the removal of unnecessary box borders in tables. This change has also made the tables more compact, so that in many cases, a table which had used multiple pages now appears on a single page. How to Learn More The list of References Cited, at the end of this book, lists over 400 works which were consulted in the document’s creation. In the case of many academic papers, a trip to a good library is still necessary. But, increasingly, valuable documents are to be found online; we have supplied a URL in every case where we were able to identify an online source for a document. MLPA Initiative staff have compiled and developed spatial data layers and have conducted geographic information system (GIS) analyses to support the planning process. This regional profile includes maps of only selected spatial data layers. Additional spatial data layers for the study region are available through the online tool, MarineMap (http://www.marinemap.org/marinemap/). Data layers available at the date of printing are listed in Appendix B. iii Contents Tables ........................................................................................................................................................viii Figures.........................................................................................................................................................xi Maps ...........................................................................................................................................................xii Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................xv 1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................................1 2. Description of the MLPA South Coast Study Region..........................................................................3 3. Ecological Setting ...................................................................................................................................7 3.1 Marine Habitats and Communities......................................................................................................8 3.1.1 Depth Categories.......................................................................................................................10 3.1.2 Intertidal Zones ..........................................................................................................................11 3.1.3 Estuaries and Lagoons ..............................................................................................................14 3.1.4 Seagrass Beds ..........................................................................................................................20 3.1.5 Kelp Forests...............................................................................................................................21 3.1.6 Hard-bottom/Rocky Reefs .........................................................................................................23 3.1.7 Sandy/Soft Bottoms ...................................................................................................................24 3.1.8 Underwater Pinnacles................................................................................................................25 3.1.9 Submarine Canyons ..................................................................................................................25 3.1.10 Offshore Rocks and Islands.....................................................................................................25 3.1.11 Oceanographic Habitats ..........................................................................................................27 3.2 Important Regional Species..............................................................................................................31 3.2.1 Species Likely to Benefit From MPAs .......................................................................................31 3.2.2 Depleted, Depressed and Overfished Species..........................................................................32 3.2.3 Fished Species of Interest .........................................................................................................36 3.2.4 Special-Status Species..............................................................................................................42 3.3 Areas of Biodiversity Significance.....................................................................................................49 4. Land-Sea Interactions...........................................................................................................................51 4.1 Ecological Linkages ..........................................................................................................................51 4.2 Coastal Watersheds and Land Use in Study Region .......................................................................53 4.3 Coastal Water Quality .......................................................................................................................54 4.3.1 Existing Water Quality Protection Designations ........................................................................55 4.3.2 Offshore Water Quality Issues...................................................................................................56 4.3.3 Impaired Water Bodies in the South Coast Study Region.........................................................59 4.3.4 Beach Closures, Postings, and Rain Advisories .......................................................................60 4.3.5 Sediment Quality and Areas of Impairment...............................................................................63 4.4 Effects of Land Use on Coastal Waters............................................................................................64 4.4.1 Impacts of Local Geology on Water Quality ..............................................................................64 4.4.2 Point Sources.............................................................................................................................65 4.4.3 Nonpoint Sources ......................................................................................................................67 4.5 Coastal Energy Projects ...................................................................................................................70 4.5.1 Oil Platforms ..............................................................................................................................71 4.5.2 Electric Generating Power Plants..............................................................................................71 4.6 Water Quality Projects in the South Coast Study Region.................................................................73 4.6.1 Water Quality Monitoring Programs ..........................................................................................73 4.6.2 Water Quality Restoration Projects ...........................................................................................74 5. Socioeconomic Setting.........................................................................................................................77