Here we provide one of the first systematic, “snapshot” surveys of the entire North Coast Study Region, from the Oregon border to the headland at Point Arena. Our attempt was to characterize these subtidal rocky reefs both inside of the newly created MPAs throughout the region and at comparable and representative reference areas outside of MPAs. We utilized small (19 and 22 ft) vessels for these surveys since representative reef habitats in this region are often remote and inaccessible from shore. These habitats are better represented in this study relative to those often reported on from the limited beach access surveys confined to small areas by other monitoring efforts. We used SCUBA surveys to measure the physical characteristics of rocky reefs and the relative abundance and sizes of many of the fishes, mobile and sessile invertebrates, and algae at each site. Species abundances were estimated along 30 m long swath surveys that count individuals within a 60 m² area or at predetermined points along a transect using uniform point contact (UPC) methods to estimate the percent cover of colonial and encrusting organisms covering the reefs.

State of the North Central Coast Region-Results from Baseline Monitoring of Marine Protected Areas 2010-2015. Learn about the biological, ecological, oceanographic, and socioeconomic conditions around the time of marine protected area (MPA) implementation on the North Central Coast. The North Central Coast region covers approximately 763 square miles of state waters from Alder Creek (near Point Arena) to Pigeon Point, and this report establishes a benchmark of conditions against which future changes can be compared. During the baseline monitoring period from 2010-2015, 11 projects worked across the North Central Coast to collect a comprehensive understanding of the region. More than 20 organizations, including scientists, fishermen, citizen groups, and others contributed to this summary.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the habitat map of the seafloor of the Offshore of Fort Ross map area, California. The polygon shapefile is included in "Habitat_OffshoreFortRoss.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/OffshoreFortRoss/data_catalog_OffshoreFortRoss.html. These data accompany the pamphlet and map sheets of Johnson, S.Y., Dartnell, P., Golden, N.E., Hartwell, S.R., Erdey, M.D., Greene, H.G., Cochrane, G.R., Kvitek, R.G., Manson, M.W., Endris, C.A., Dieter, B.E., Watt, J.T., Krigsman, L.M., Sliter, R.W., Lowe, E.N., and Chin, J.L. (S.Y. Johnson and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 2015, California State Waters Map Series--Offshore of Fort Ross, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1211, pamphlet 37 p., 10 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151211. Potential marine benthic habitat maps were constructed using multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data. The habitats were based on substrate types and documented or "ground truthed" using underwater video images and seafloor samples obtained by the USGS. These maps display various habitat types that range from flat, soft, unconsolidated sediment-covered seafloor to hard, deformed (folded), or highly rugose and differentially eroded bedrock exposures.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the habitat map of the seafloor of the Offshore of Salt Point map area, California. The vector data file is included in "Habitat_OffshoreSaltPoint.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/OffshoreSaltPoint/data_catalog_OffshoreSaltPoint.html. These data accompany the pamphlet and map sheets of Johnson, S.Y., Dartnell, P., Golden, N.E., Hartwell, S.R., Erdey, M.D., Greene, H.G., Cochrane, G.R., Kvitek, R.G., Manson, M.W., Endris, C.A., Dieter, B.E., Watt, J.T., Krigsman, L.M., Sliter, R.W., Lowe, E.N., and Chin, J.L. (S.Y. Johnson and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 2015, California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of Salt Point, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1098, pamphlet 37 p., 10 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151098. Potential marine benthic habitat maps were constructed using multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data. The habitats were based on substrate types and documented or "ground truthed" using underwater video images and seafloor samples obtained by the USGS. These maps display various habitat types that range from flat, soft, unconsolidated sediment-covered seafloor to hard, deformed (folded), or highly rugose and differentially eroded bedrock exposures.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the habitat map of the Offshore of Santa Barbara map area, California. The vector data file is included in "Habitat_OffshoreSantaBarbara.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/OffshoreSantaBarbara/data_catalog_OffshoreSantaBarbara.html. These data accompany the pamphlet and map sheets of Johnson, S.Y., Dartnell, P., Cochrane, G.R., Golden, N.E., Phillips, E.L., Ritchie, A.C., Greene, H.G., Krigsman, L.M., Kvitek, R.G., Dieter, B.E., Endris, C.A., Seitz, G.G., Sliter, R.W., Erdey, M.E., Gutierrez, C.I., Wong, F.L., Yoklavich, M.M., Draut, A.E., Hart, P.E., and Conrad, J.E. (S.Y. Johnson and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 2013, California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of Santa Barbara, California: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3281, 45 p., 11 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3281. Potential marine benthic habitat maps were constructed using multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data. The habitats were based on substrate types and documented or "ground truthed" using underwater video images and seafloor samples obtained by the USGS. These maps display various habitat types that range from flat, soft, unconsolidated sediment-covered seafloor to hard, deformed (folded), or highly rugose and differentially eroded bedrock exposures.

This part of DS 781 presents data for the habitat map of the seafloor of the Offshore of San Francisco map area, California. The vector data file is included in "Habitat_SanFrancisco.zip," which is accessible from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/OffshoreSanFrancisco/data_catalog_OffshoreSanFrancisco.html. These data accompany the pamphlet and map sheets of Cochrane, G.R., Johnson, S.Y., Dartnell, P., Greene, H.G., Erdey, M.D., Golden, N.E., Hartwell, S.R., Endris, C.A., Manson, M.W., Sliter, R.W., Kvitek, R.G., Watt, J.T., Ross, S.L., and Bruns, T.R. (G.R. Cochrane and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 2015, California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of San Francisco, California (ver. 1.1, June 2015): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1068, pamphlet 39 p., 10 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151068. Potential marine benthic habitat maps were constructed using multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data. The habitats were based on substrate types and documented or "ground truthed" using underwater video images and seafloor samples obtained by the USGS. These maps display various habitat types that range from flat, soft, unconsolidated sediment-covered seafloor to hard, deformed (folded), or highly rugose and differentially eroded bedrock exposures.