In 1999, California passed the Marine Life Protection Act which created a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) throughout the state. MPAs are discrete areas allotted to the protection and conservation of marine life and habitat. There are five types of MPA classifications that have varying degrees of restrictions.

1. State Marine Reserves (SMR):

   1. Can you take living marine/geological resources? - Yes (with the appropriate permit)

   2. Is it open for public recreation? - Yes

   3. Is research permitted? - Yes, with permission from the managing agency

2. State Marine Park (SMP):

   1. Can you take living marine/geological resources? - No

   2. Is it open for public recreation? - Yes

   3. Is research permitted? - Yes, with permission

3. State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA)

   1. Can you take living marine/geological resources? - No (unless expressly permitted by the managing agency)

   2. Is it open for public recreation? - No

   3. Is research permitted? -Yes, with permission from the managing agency

4. State Marine Recreation Management Area (SMRMA)

   1. Can you take living marine/geological resources? - Yes (with the appropriate permit)

   2. Is it open for public recreation? - Yes

   3. Is research permitted? - Yes, as long as it does not compromise the recreational value of the area

5. Special Closure - Special areas that prohibits all boating activities

Sea Otters were nearly hunted to extinction for their fur in California in the 19th century, and populations have plummeted from around 20,000 to 3,000. Sea otters are important ecosystem engineers, as they hunt sea urchins and prevent the degradation of kelp ecosystems. Monterey Bay Aquarium has been rearing rescued sea otter pups since 2002 with the hopes of eventually releasing them in the wild. They use female otters in their exhibits to help rear the pups and teach them how to groom and find food. They have released a few of these pups in a nearby wetland called Elkhorn Slough, where they found that the released pups are surviving just as well as the wild pups.

Pacific herring are an important food source at every stage in their life for a variety of marine species like birds, mammals, smelt, and sturgeon. They are an important part of the marine ecosystem. Pacific herring have major spawning sites in California in such places as San Francisco Bay and Humboldt Bay. However, fisheries have been catching below 10% of expected yields in recent years, which indicates that Pacific herring populations may be dwindling. To combat this, the Fish and Game Commission created a Pacific herring fishery management plan in 2019 that imposed major limits on the number of herring fisheries can catch and established a rapid assessment protocol so fishery managers can monitor herring populations.