Marine Protected Areas of Washington, Oregon, and California Compiled
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Marine Protected Areas of Washington, Oregon, and California compiled by Al J. Didier, Jr. Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission 45 SE 82nd Drive, Suite 100 Gladstone, OR 97027-2522 December 1998 Conducted under Contract No. 98-08 from the Pacific Fishery Management Council LIST OF TABLES Table 1. National marine sanctuaries of California, Oregon, and Washington. .............................6 Table 2. National Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. ....................................................................................................................7 Table 3. National parks and monuments of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. ............8 Table 4. Marine protected areas designated by state and local governments in California ..........10 Table 5. Marine protected areas designated by state and local governments in Oregon..............19 Table 6. Marine protected areas designated by state and local governments in Washington. ......21 Table 7. National Estuarine Research Reserves of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. 27 Table 8. National Estuary Program sites of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. ..........28 Table 9. UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve sites of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington.29 Table 10. Nearshore submarine cable segments off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. ..................................................................................................................30 Table 11. Coordinates (decimal degrees) of nearshore submarine cable segments off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. .............................................................................31 Table 12. Offshore drilling platforms of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington (coordinates in decimal degrees). .......................................................................................................35 Table 13. Active weather and scientific buoy sites located off California, Oregon, and Washington (coordinates in decimal degrees). ...................................................................................38 Table 14. Restricted navigation areas located off California, Oregon, and Washington...............39 Table 15. Coordinates (decimal degrees) of restricted navigation areas off California, Oregon, and Washington. ..................................................................................................................41 Table 16. Danger zones and restricted areas located off California, Oregon, and Washington.....45 Table 17. Coordinates (decimal degrees) of danger zones and restricted areas off California, Oregon, and Washington. ..............................................................................................50 i LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. National Marine Sanctuaries off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. ....61 Figure 2. National Wildlife Refuges of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. ..................62 Figure 3. National Parks and monuments of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington...........63 Figure 4. National Estuarine Research Reserves of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington.64 Figure 5. National Estuary Program sites of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington...........65 Figure 6. UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve sites of coastal California, Oregon, and Washington. ..................................................................................................................66 Figure 7. Nearshore segments of undersea communications and scientific cables located of the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington................................................................67 Figure 8. Offshore drilling platforms located off the coast of California (see Table 12 for reference numbers). ......................................................................................................................68 Figure 9. Weather and scientific buoys moored off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. ..................................................................................................................69 ii Introduction This document begins to identify for the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) some of the protected areas or sites of special designation that could affect the marine environment off the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. It reflects only the information which could be collected in the time available under this contract. The listed sites include those specifically designated for some level of protection, as well as those which might be considered “de facto” protected areas. “De facto” protected areas are those where fishing access could be affected by regulations implemented for other purposes, or by the presence of man-made obstacles or hazards to navigation. While all of these sites are coastal, they may include a variety of subtidal and/or intertidal zones, and limitations on fishing (if any) vary at each site. Designated Sites National Marine Sanctuaries The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate discrete areas as national marine sanctuaries to promote comprehensive management of their special conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, research, educational, or aesthetic resources. National marine sanctuaries may be designated in coastal and ocean waters, in submerged lands and in the Great Lakes, and their connecting waters. To date, 12 national marine sanctuaries have been designated, including nearshore coral reefs and open ocean. They range in size from less than one to over 5,300 square miles. The sanctuaries are administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the relevant regulations are published in 15 CFR 922. Sites located in California, Oregon, or Washington are listed in Table 1, and the general locations are depicted in Figure 1. National Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to preserve a national network of lands and waters for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, and plant resources of the United States for the benefit of present and future generations. The system is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 and other authorities. The first refuge was established in 1903, and the system now includes more than 500 refuges totaling more than 92 million acres. Public use of a refuge, including wildlife-dependent recreation, is allowed only where the use is compatible with the mission of the system and purpose of the individual refuge. Sites adjoining the coastal waters of California, Oregon, or Washington are listed in Table 2, and the general locations are depicted in Figure 2. National Parks and Monuments The National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior, was created in 1916 to protect the 40 national parks and monuments then in existence and those yet to be established. Its purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife in these parks, and to provide for their enjoyment in a manner that will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. Authority for 63 national monuments and military sites was transferred to the 1 NPS in 1933. The National Park System of the United States now comprises 376 areas covering more than 83 million acres. Additions to the system are made through acts of Congress. Pacific coastal sites are presented in Table 3 and Figure 3. State and Local Government Designations State and local governments may assign special designations or regulations to areas to further a variety of management, planning, or educational purposes. These have been documented by McArdle (1997) for California, and by Murray (1998) for the Puget Sound region of Washington. Protected areas in Oregon are documented in the sport fishing regulations for the Marine Zone published by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Sites in California are listed in Table 4, those in Oregon are listed in Table 5, and those in Washington are listed in Table 6. These sites are numerous and many are small, so no general location maps are provided here. Site maps are generally included in the above reference documents, and each of the states is (or has been) involved in mapping programs to identify the boundaries of these sites. Preliminary ArcView shapefiles that have been collected are being provided as part of this completion report. National Estuarine Research Reserve System The National Estuarine Research Reserve System was established under Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972. Under the system, healthy estuaries that typify different regions of the United States are designated and managed as sites for long term research, and used as a base for estuarine education and interpretation programs. The system also provides a framework through which research results and techniques for estuarine education and interpretation can be shared. Pacific coast sites are listed in Table 7, and their locations are depicted in Figure 4. National Estuary Program The National Estuary Program (NEP) was established in 1987 by amendments to the Clean Water Act to identify, restore, and protect nationally significant estuaries of the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers the NEP, but program decisions and activities