NOAA Establishes Marine Reserves in Federal Waters of Channel Islands Sanctuary

On May 24, 2007, NOAA published final regulations designating eight marine reserves and one marine conservation area within federal waters of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The new federal zones covered 110.5 square nautical miles of reserves and 1.7 square nautical miles of conservation area, extending protections from the state-federal boundary at three nautical miles offshore to the sanctuary limit at six nautical miles. Combined with California's existing state water reserves established in 2003, the completed network encompassed 241 square nautical miles, representing 22 percent of sanctuary waters and forming the largest marine protected area network off the continental United States at that time. The regulations prohibited all extractive activities within marine reserves, including fishing, resource collection, and habitat disturbance, while the Anacapa Island Marine Conservation Area permitted limited recreational fishing for pelagic species and lobster harvesting. The action culminated an eight-year collaborative process begun in 1999 through the Marine Reserves Working Group, which included a community-based phase (1999-2001), California's state regulatory phase resulting in the Fish and Game Commission's 2002 adoption of state water zones, and NOAA's federal phase (2003-2007) extending protections into deeper waters. The sanctuary boundary expanded by approximately 15 square nautical miles to allow straight-line reserve boundaries for enhanced enforcement. NOAA coordinated implementation with the California Department of Fish and Game, Pacific Fishery Management Council, National Park Service, and U.S. Coast Guard to ensure unified management across jurisdictional boundaries. The regulations utilized both the National Marine Sanctuaries Act for water column protections and complementary Magnuson-Stevens Act provisions prohibiting bottom-contact fishing gear, creating comprehensive no-take zones. Under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the revised designation terms required a 45-day Congressional review period before taking effect, with enforcement authority shared among federal and state agencies.