Lovers Point State Marine Reserve (SMR) is one of four small

marine protected areas Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...

located near the cities of

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

and Pacific Grove, at the southern end of

Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by ...

on California’s central coast. The four MPAs together encompass . The SMR protects all marine life within its boundaries. Fishing and take of all living marine resources is prohibited.California Department of Fish and Game.
Online Guide to California’s Central Coast Marine Protected Areas
". Retrieved on December 18, 2008

History

Lovers Point State Marine Reserve was established in September 2007 by the California Department of Fish & Game. It was one of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative. The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative (or MLPAI) is a collaborative public process to create a statewide network of marine protected areas along the California coastline.

Geography and natural features

Lovers Point SMR is located off the coast of the

Monterey Peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach. History Monterey Monterey was founded i ...

, at the southern end of

. It covers an area of.30 sq. miles. The reserve is directly offshore from Lovers Point Park, a small local park. Lovers Point SMR is one of four marine protected areas bordering the

. It is between Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area and

Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area is one of four small marine protected areas located near the cities of Monterey and Pacific Grove, at the southern end of Monterey Bay on California’s central coast. The four MPAs tog ...

. Farther to the west is Asilomar State Marine Reserve. All four areas are included within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This marine protected area is bounded by the mean high tide line, and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed: 36° 37.10’ N. lat. 121° 54.09’ W. long.; 36° 37.25’ N. lat. 121° 53.78’ W. long.; 36° 37.38’ N. lat. 121° 53.85’ W. long.; 36° 37.60’ N. lat. 121° 54.75’ W. long.; and 36° 37.60’ N. lat. 121° 54.91’ W. long.

Habitat and wildlife

The

includes extensive tidepools brimming with life. Its sandy beaches are used by pupping harbor seals, and dense kelp beds offshore provide shelter for sea otters. The Lovers Point SMR provides habitat for a variety of marine life, and includes

kelp forest Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...

s, beaches, rocky intertidal zones, and soft and hard bottom underwater environments.

Recreation and nearby attractions

The natural environment and ocean resources of the

draw millions of visitors from around the world each year, including more than 65,000 scuba divers drawn by the area’s easy access, wildlife, and kelp forests. The

Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists ...

is a tourist attraction featuring a living kelp forest. The exhibit includes many of the species native to the nearby marine protected areas. The aquarium also houses sea otters, intertidal wildlife, and occasionally sea turtles. In addition to diving and visiting the aquarium, people visit the

for kayaking, whale watching, charter fishing, surfing, bird watching, tidepooling and walking on the beach. Lovers Point is also where the Kelp Krawlers, a local open water swimming group, holds its weekly Sunday swim. California's marine protected areas encourage recreational and educational uses of the ocean. Activities such as kayaking, diving, snorkeling, and swimming are allowed unless otherwise restricted.

Safety

The beach is periodically closed due to sewage contamination. The Monterey County Health Department updates their website with beach conditions and information about closures. On June 22, 2022, a 60-year-old swimmer was attacked by a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

at Lover's Point Beach, in the Lovers Point State Marine Reserve. The swimmer, left with major injuries, was aided to safety by bystanders, and taken to a hospital in Salinas. The

Fire Department used a drone to conduct a search for the shark, but did not locate it.

Scientific monitoring

In accordance with the Marine Life Protection Act, select marine protected areas along California’s central coast are being monitored by scientists to track their effectiveness and learn more about ocean health. Similar studies in marine protected areas located off of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands have already detected gradual improvements in fish size and number. Local scientific and educational institutions involved in the monitoring include Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, University of California Santa Cruz, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Research methods include hook-and-line sampling, intertidal and scuba diver surveys, and the use of Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) submarines.

References

External links

California MPAsMarine Life Protection Act InitiativeCalOceansMonterey Bay Aquarium
{{authority control Marine sanctuaries in California Monterey Bay California Department of Fish and Wildlife areas Protected areas of Monterey County, California Monterey, California Pacific Grove, California 2007 establishments in California Protected areas established in 2007