A.
Sanctuary Location [Part
II TOC]
Monterey Bay is located along the central California coast about
50 miles (80 km) south of San Francisco (Figure
3). It is California's second largest bay and one of the
few major bays along the entire Pacific Coast of the United
States. Perhaps its most significant feature is also its least
obvious: it possesses the deepest and largest submarine canyon
on the coast of North America.
The bay is an open embayment approximately 20 nautical miles
(nmi) (37 km) long, north to south, and up to 9 nmi (16 km)
wide in an east-west direction. It is symmetrical in shape with
bights in the extreme northern and southern ends. It covers
an area of approximately 160 nmi2 (550 km2) (Breaker and Broenkow,
1989). Monterey Canyon, equivalent in size to the Grand Canyon,
divides the bay into two more-or-less equal northern and southern
parts.
The preferred Sanctuary area encompasses both Monterey Bay
itself and the adjacent coastline to the north and south, approximately
4,024 square nautical miles. The northern terminus of the boundary
is located along the southern boundary of the Gulf of Farallones
National Marine Sanctuary and runs westward to approximately
123ö07'W. The boundary then extends south in an arc which generally
follows the 500 fathom isobath. At approximately 37ö03'N, the
boundary arcs south to 122ö25'W, 36ö10'N, due west of Partington
Pt. The boundary again follows the 500 fathom isobath south
to 121ö41'W, 35ö33'N, due west of Cambria. The boundary then
extends shoreward towards the mean high-water line. The landward
boundary is defined by the mean high-water line between Cambria
and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, exclusive
of a small area off the coast of San Mateo County and the City
and County of San Francisco between Point San Pedro and Point
Bonita. The harbors of Monterey (excluding Elkhorn Slough),
Moss Landing, Pillar Point, and Santa Cruz are excluded from
this alternative.
The coastline setting varies from sandy beaches and rocky outcrops
to sandstone cliffs and sand bluffs north of Santa Cruz, to
over 25 miles of wind-swept dunes and beaches that fringe part
of the bay, to the rugged rocky coastal areas of Monterey Peninsula
and Big Sur. The nutrient-rich waters of the bay support extensive
fish, invertebrate, seabird, and marine mammal populations while
many commercial fisheries provide a significant economic benefit
to the region and the nation.
B.
Regional Access [Part
II TOC]
The Monterey Bay area has been a popular seaside resort since
the late 1800's. To the north is the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan
area with a population of about five million. Highway Number
1 parallels the coast throughout the area, making coastal access
possible in many places. Santa Clara and San Benito counties
have rapidly growing urban populations in San Jose, Morgan Hill,
Gilroy and Hollister. North of the Monterey Peninsula, the shoreline
is very accessible because of the large amount of public ownership.
South of the peninsula the rugged nature of the terrain and
more private ownership make ocean access difficult, although
many miles of the southern coast are owned and managed by the
California Department of Parks and Recreation.
