Swami's State Marine Conservation Area

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are named, discrete geographic marine or estuarine areas seaward of the mean high tide line or the mouth of a coastal river, including any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora and fauna, that have been designated by law or administrative action to protect or conserve marine life and habitat. They are scientifically proven to promote the restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity, which help increase the ocean’s resilience to pollution and climate change. The need to safeguard the long-term health of California’s marine life was recognized by the California Legislature in 1999 with the passage of the Marine Life Protection Act. This Act aims to protect California’s marine natural heritage through establishing a statewide network of MPAs. Currently, there are 147 MPAs in California. The City of Encinitas is home to the Swami’s State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) MPA, which was established in 2012, and spans approximately 3.5 miles of shoreline (from Moonlight State Beach south to South Cardiff State Beach) and 3.5 miles offshore with an overall area of 12.71 square miles. 

South Cardiff State Beach	Swami's SMCA
Swami's Beach	Swami's Sunset
Intertidal Rocky Reef and Tide Pools
Moonlight State Beach
D Street Beach	Cottonwood Creek Outfall
The depth within the Swami’s SMCA ranges from 0 feet to 982 feet below sea level. Several surf breaks, most notably Swami’s Reef, Cardiff Reef and Seaside Reef are popular for surfing. Swami’s SMCA protects and sustains multiple habitats which include kelp forests, surf grass, rocky reef, and intertidal reef which support a variety of fish, invertebrates, and avian bird species. During low tide, visitors can observe tide pools with anemones, brittle stars, sea hares, and octopus near Swami’s Point and Table Tops Reef. California Least Terns, Double-Crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans can be seen fishing offshore, as well as intertidal foragers such as the Western Snowy Plover, Sanderlings, and Whimbrels, found near the Cardiff State Beach Living Shoreline dunes. To ensure the continued success of the ecosystem, it is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resources from this area for commercial or recreational purposes with the exception of recreational fishing for finfish (or bony fish, such as sharks, skates and
rays) by take with hook and line from shore. The recreational take from spearfishing of pelagic finfish (defined as Barracuda, Pacific Bonito, Yellowtail, Thresher shark, Pacific Mackerel, Dorado, and White Seabass) is also allowed. No recreational or commercial boat fishing of any kind is allowed. Beach nourishment and other sediment management activities and operation and maintenance of artificial structures inside the conservation area is allowed pursuant to any required federal, state, and local permits. Please see the specific California Code Regulations (C.C.R), Title 14, Section 632 for Marine Protected Areas from California Fish and Wildlife.

Signs to be Aware Of :

Batiquitos Lagoon State Marine Conservation Area and Ecological Reserve

Located along and between the northern boarder of the City of Encinitas (north of La Costa Avenue) and the southern boarder of the City of Carlsbad, the Batiquitos Lagoon has both a State Conservation Area overlay located within it (located on the east side of Interstate-5) and a State Ecological Reserve overlay which includes the areas on both sides of Interstate-5, all the way west to the Pacific Ocean. The Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve is a 544-acre property. The property was designated as an ecological reserve by the Fish and Game Commission in 1983. One of the goals for the Batiquitos Lagoon State Marine Conservation Area is to protect the estuary’s marsh, mudflat, and eelgrass habitat. Habitat types include, open water/subtidal, intertidal mudflats, southern coastal salt marsh, coastal brackish marsh, nesting areas, transitional zones, and southern arroyo willow riparian forest. Dominant flora includes eelgrass, pickleweed, alkali health, and white sage. A wide variety of marine species use these habitats, including leopard shark, bat ray, and pipefish. This conservation area protects a nursery area for young fish, including California halibut and Pacific staghorn sculpin. Over 200 species of birds live in the wetland area or use it as a stopover site during migrations. The Western Snowy Plover, Ridgway’s rail and California least tern are all seen here.

It is unlawful to injure, damage, take or posses any living, geological, or cultural marine resource for commercial and/or recreational purposes. Take pursuant to operation and maintenance, habitat restoration, research and education, maintenance dredging and maintenance of artificial structures inside the conservation area is allowed pursuant to any required federal, state and local permits. Boating, swimming, wading and diving are prohibited within the conservation area. Fishing is not allowed in the lagoon, except under the Interstate-5 freeway bridge, as accessed from the City of Carlsbad side and is catch and release only (no take). Please see the specific California Code Regulations (C.C.R), Title 14, Section 630 for the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve rules and regulations and Section 632 for Marine Protected Areas and California Fish and Wildlife.

Signs to be aware of:

San Elijo Lagoon State Marine Conservation Area and Ecological Reserve

 Located along the City of Encinitas southern boundary, south of Manchester Avenue and San Elijo Avenue and north of the City of Solana Beach, the San Elijo Lagoon has both a State Conservation Area overlay located within it (located on both sides of Interstate-5) and a State Ecological Reserve overlay within it (which also is located on both sides of Interstate-5). The San Elijo State Marine Conservation Area is 0.50 square miles, including 0.42 square miles of estuary and 1.59 square miles of coastal marsh. The San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is 721 acres reaching beyond the limits of the Ecological Reserve overlay. The property was designated as an ecological reserve by the Fish and Game Commission in 1983. There is a great diversity of plant and animal species here. Habitats include southern California coastal sage scrub, riparian and coastal wetland communities. There is also a great trails system in and around the lagoon that San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the Nature Collective maintain for wildlife viewing and hiking, so please stay on the trail. 

It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or posses any living, geological, or cultural marine resource for commercial and/or recreation purposes. Take pursuant to operation and maintenance, habitat restoration, research and education, maintenance dredging and maintenance of artificial structures inside the conservation area or ecological reserve is allowed pursuant to any required federal, state and local permits. Boating, paddleboarding, fishing, swimming, wading, and diving are prohibited within the conservation area and ecological reserve. Yes, this includes the inlet waterway near Cardiff Reef, which leads to the body of the lagoon, underneath, and on the east side of South Coast Highway 101, adjacent to the railroad corridor. Please see the specific California Code Regulations (C.C.R), Title 14, Section 630 for the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Conservation Area rules and regulations and Section 632 for Marine Protected Areas from California Fish and Wildlife.
Signs to be aware of:

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Beacon's Beach Coastal Bluff Landscape Restoration Project

Beacon's Beach Coastal Bluff Landscape Restoration is a current project that exemplifies the balance of habitat protection with recreational opportunities. The primary objective of the project is to stabilize the bluff using native vegetation to protect the access trail at this popular beach destination. The restoration of native plant species will have the twofold benefit of reducing bluff top erosion and increasing habitat area. The restoration plan includes a pilot project testing the use of washed up kelp to enhance natural dune formation. Long term monitoring plans include citizen science opportunities to increase engagement and stewardship in the community. For more details on this project, please review the Beacon's Beach Coastal Bluff Landscape Restoration plan. 

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Grunion Run Anyone?

The California Grunion is a thin silvery fish that is part of the new world silversides family. They are known for their unique spawning process which occurs each year from March to September. During spawning events, known as grunion runs, masses of fish come ashore to lay their eggs in the wet sand. They are the only fish species to lay eggs completely out of the water. This unique ritual can create a magical spectacle with thousands of fish coming ashore at once. Runs are dependent on tide conditions and can be predicted years in advance. Although the exact population of grunion is unknown, a downward trend has been detected in recent years due to beach erosion, development, and pollution. Researchers rely on observations from the community to help assess the health of the species.

Get involved with citizen science, help a locally threatened species, and have fun by participating in a grunion run! Check out this CA Fish and Wildlife page to lean more about grunions and see a comprehensive table of grunion run dates. The grunion may show up at any sandy beach but Cardiff State Beach and Ponto State Beach have historically had the best turn out. Download a form and report observations at http://grunion.org/sighting.asp