New oceans protections will benefit the giant octopus. © 2006, Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation

From the elephant seal rookeries at Point Ano Nuevo on Monterey Bay to Vandenberg Air Force Base at Point Conception, nearly one-fifth of the waters off central California's coast will soon be protected under the Marine Life Protection Act. On August 15, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to create an extensive network of protected marine areas, fulfilling a promise made when the act was passed in 1999. The plan will establish 29 separate zones, preserving kelp forests, nearshore reefs, and undersea canyons that sustain ocean life of all types, including native and migratory marine birds, octopus, rockfish, sea otters, and countless other animals. NRDC spon-sored the act and has followed its implementation every step of the way, building a broad coalition of supporters including recreational divers, sport fishermen, scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and proponents of tourism-related businesses.