The California Marine Life Protection Act
Last Updated 003/30/2004

MLPA - AB993 - Approved 10/10/99
Here is The actual Language of the Law in .PDF Format
Chapter 10.5, Section 2851(g) "Despite the demonstrated value of marine life reserves, only 14 of the 220,000 square miles of combined state and federal ocean water off California, or six-thousandths of 1 percent, are set aside as genuine no take areas."

News Articles, Opinion And Current Events

Web Page Links, Science Articles, Publications

Coalition of Organizations for Ocean Life (COOL) initiates Campaign to Restart MLPA Process - 1/16/2004

State to hit pause on plan for no-fishing zones - 1/13/04

California DFG Announces MLPA on Hold - 1/12/2004

Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Defers Decision On Marine Reserves - 8/7/03

Australia extends fishing ban to save reef - 6/3/2003

Two Sides Are Struggling to Land Control of Water Policy - 5/12/03

CANADA ESTABLISHES FIRST MARINE PROTECTED AREA - 3/7/03 COMMISSION ISLANDS MPAs VERDICT MAY BE 'TWEEKED' - 1/15/03

Pew Commission Issues Report On Marine Protected Areas - 1/14/03

BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO NATIONAL MPA PANEL (with Comments by PCFFA President Zeke Grader) - 1/3/2003 and even MORE here!)

From the Environmental Defense Fund: Channel Islands Update: How We Won an Ocean Wilderness Park - 11/22/02

The Fish Story - 11/14/02

Australia maps out world's largest marine reserve - 10/10/02

Mexico faces tough battle in saving marine reserve - 10/23/02

PCFFA Report On: CHANNEL ISLANDS MPAs - 10/2002

State makes waters off-limits to fishing Ban - 10/24/02

GOVERNOR DAVIS ANNOUNCES CREATION OF LARGEST MARINE RESERVE ON WEST COAST - 10/23/02

HISTORIC VOTE RESULTS IN GIANT MARINE RESERVE FOR CHANNEL ISLANDS - 10/24/02

Panel eyes no-fish zone near Channel Islands - 10/22/02

Marine Reserves Have "Rapid And Lasting Effects" Says Study - 8/20/02

Bill To Delay MLPA In State Senate - 8/4/02

Big Fish Near Marine Reserves Called Weighty Evidence That Bans Work - 7/22/02

California May Ban Fishing Around Channel Islands - 2/13/02

DFG Scraps MPA Plan - 1/21/02 Fishermen Worry About Conservation - 9/2/01

Catalina at the Marine Crossroads by Steve Benavides - 9/1/01

Troubled Waters - 8/24/01

Marine Reserves Called Best Hope for Ocean Species - 8/16/01

Two articles about marine reserves, one in the form of a letter to the editor at the Santa Barbara Newspress, and the second an article from the New York Times about the Dry Tortugas.

Protected Areas Proposed to Restore Fish Populations - 7/10/01

Fishermen oppose new off-limits zones - 7/10/01

New Fishing Restrictions Proposed Along the North Coast - 7/9/01

Proposed Marine Reserves Opposed By Fishermen - 7/9/01

Proposed No-fishing Zones -- Florida Sportsman Magazine - The Recreational Fisher argues against Marine No-Take Reserves.

The Center for Marine Conservation argues for Marine No-Take Reserves.

Zeke Grader's Comments on Marine Protected Areas and Commercial Fishermen (7/18/2000 and other Reserve position statements from the PCFFA website.

MARINE RESERVES: FRIEND OR FOE? - More Comments By Zeke Grader on Marine Reserves from February 1999

Australian Fishermen and the National Party of Australia Oppose Marine Reserves - 4/28/01

Realities of Marine Resources and Commercial Fishing - The Commercial Fishermen's Argument Against Reserves.

Setting the Record Straight 07/28/98

NO-FISHING SIGNS WAVE OF THE FUTURE? SAC - The Sportfishing Association of California - Channel Islands Reserves Update - 4/5/2001

British Columbia Aboriginal Fisheries Commission (BCAFC) on Marine Reserves - September 4, 1998

AB 993 SIGNED BY GOVERNOR DAVIS - REVAMPS MARINE RESERVE SYSTEM - 10-13-99

Are Marine Reserves the Way to Save California's Reef Fish and other marine species?

California Dept Of Fish And Game MPA Pages

Marine Protected Area Home Page of The California Dept. Of Fish and Game

Existing California Marine Protected Areas - A list of what is and what is not protected.

DFG Channel Islands MPA Web Site

California Marine Protected Areas - Maps

Official Federal Government Marine Protected Areas Home Page

Detailed Photographs of the Entire Coastline of California

A Review of the Ecological Effectiveness of Subtidal Marine Reserves in Central California (2002) Richard M. Starr, et al

Effects of Marine Reserves on Adjacent Fisheries by Callum Roberts et al. 11-3-2001

"The Science Of Marine Reserves" - Booklet (2843kb - PDF)

The SurfRider Foundations Manual on the California MLPA

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary MPA Plan

California Marine Protected Areas - Past and Present - Booklet (4924kb -PDF)

California Marine Protected Areas Update

The fishery effects of Marine Reserves and fishery closures
by Fiona R. Gell and Callum M. Roberts -(1320kb-pdf

Developing the Theory of Marine Reserves by Jane Lubchenco, Professor of Marine Biology, OSU

No Take Marine Protected Areas (nMPAs) as a fishery management tool,a pragmatic perspective
A Report to the FishAmerica Foundation By Robert L. Shipp, Ph.D.

Dangerous targets?
Unresolved issues and ideological clashes around marine protected areas by Agardy et al

WWF's Report " Fully-protected marine reserves: a guide - (6800kb download)

The California Marine Life Protection Act and Recreational Divers - Central California Diving Council

Pacific Coast Marine Protected Areas: A Public Clearinghouse for Planning Information

California Sea Grant Home Page - University based research and science group. Huge resource on Marine Protected Areas in California

The Kelp Forest Coalition

California Marine Reserves Website Maintained By Coalition of Organizations for Ocean Life (COOL).

Pisco - Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans

Pew Report: Marine Reserves: A Tool for Ecosystem Management and Conservation - 1/14/03

COMPASS - Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea

MPA News, the newsletter on planning and management of marine protected areas. MPA News serves the global MPA community with news, views, analysis, and tips gathered from experts around the world.

NCEAS - National Center For Ecological Analysis And Synthesis

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve

"Hub" pages with many Scientific Articles and Papers pertinent to the Understanding of Marine Protected Areas

Many Articles from "The Science Of Marine Reserves" February 2003 Issue of Ecological Applications

NCEAS

MPA Library

Bill Ballantine's Papers On MPAs in New Zealand

Tortugas Ecological Reserve In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA Page on The Channel Islands Marine Sanctuaryand and Marine Reserves Areas

The Role of Marine Reserves as Fisheries Management Tools - The Australian Experience

Proceedings of the Workshop on Marine Harvest Refugia for West Coast Rockfish

Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Reserves and Marine Protected Areas- PDF Format (500K).

The Friends of the Edward F. Ricketts Marine Reserve

Tidepool Coalition:
Coalition to Preserve & Restore Pt. Pinos Tidepools

The case for no-take zones

Are No-Take Fish Zones Here To Stay? By Joe Richard

PCFFA's Marine Reserve Resource Page

Egg and Larval Fish Production from Marine Ecological Reserves

Marine Reserves of New Zealand - Lessons and Principles

The War for Marine Reserves - a New Zealand Web Page Opposing the Movement To Expand Marine Reserves

Washington State Reserve Page

Washington State Study Proves Value of No-Take Reserves
on Rockfish Size and Abundance - 4/2001

Negotiating Principles For Marine Protected Areas In California

Stakeholder Analysis Review

Research in Action

Socio-Economic Analysis of Marine Protected Areas

NOAA's Coastal and Ocean Resource Economics