California votes to give its last healthy kelp forests room to breathe

California's Fish and Game Commission voted on Thursday to strengthen protection for some of the state's last healthy kelp forests — the underwater forests where whales, sea turtles and hundreds of other species feed and shelter. Commissioners expanded the existing marine protected area at Point Dume and created new ones at Point Sal and at Carpinteria Reef, also known as Mishopshno, limiting drilling, fishing and other extractive activity there. The timing matters: California has lost about 90% of its kelp forest cover to marine heatwaves and overfishing, and scientists find protected areas hold more fish, and bigger fish, than the open coast. Talks on further proposals continue on Friday.

SDG 14 · Life below water — Mechanism: policy reform