Rocky shores are one of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's most accessible habitats. At low tide, a wide diversity of beautiful and intriguing organisms are exposed for humans to enjoy.

Hermit crabs scurrying across tidepools have captivated the imagination of countless young children, and the way organisms are distributed in zones provides the perfect laboratory for young biologists. The accessibility of these organisms attracted early marine ecologists to develop experimental field biology that has influenced the study of ecology well beyond the marine realm.

Approximately 56 percent of the sanctuary coast is rocky shore habitat. Particularly in central California, rocky shores are one of the most diverse, most studied, and best understood biological regions of the world.

• The importance of geology is dramatically demonstrated when intertidal species are wiped out by landslides.
• Terrestrial organisms such as raccoons can be significant predators on intertidal species.
• Some birds feed on limpets, while others graze on algae. Moreover, bird guano seems to enhance the growth of Prasiola, an alga found in the splash zone.
• When harbor seals haul out on rocky shores, their waste products can bleach algae.
• Links with offshore systems include tidepools that act as nursery grounds for subtidal fishes, kelp forests and associated fishes that filter out larvae released from rocky shores, and strong upwelling currents that prevent the offshore larvae from returning to the shore.

Sustainable Use

The rocky shores of the sanctuary are among the most lush and diverse in the world. They offer a great opportunity for learning and recreation; at the same time they receive significant levels of human use.

The sanctuary, working with interested partners, is striving to find ways to promote sustainable use of this habitat. Fortunately, most studies indicate that this is still a thriving area in our region (as opposed to southern California).

We have come a long way from the days when primary sewage was dumped directly on the shores of Point Pinos in the 1970s. The dumping locations have recovered, but now we have new challenges.

With regional monitoring programs, we will be able to assess the continued status of our rocky shores and address current and future impacts better.

Monitoring

Interest in monitoring changes on rocky shores has grown over the past five years. Understanding short- and long-term natural variability is essential for assessing sanctuary health and understanding human impacts.

In recent years the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) has initiated a massive effort to monitor the rocky shores in and around the sanctuary. PISCO is involved in a large-scale, long-term study of the patterns of species diversity in these habitats and the physical and ecological processes responsible for structuring these communities. Their findings are helping to develop conservation and marine reserve efforts.

In a separate study, spanning sixty years of data collection, scientists noted changes in animal species composition at Hopkins Marine Station consistent with predictions of change associated with global warming.

Oil spills represent the most dramatic potential human impact to rocky shores, but it is difficult to generalize about their damage because spills vary greatly in amount, chemical composition, and degree of weathering before reaching the shore. We will need good monitoring information to address potential impacts, restoration, and recovery rates from a spill.

On a smaller scale, ships run aground on sanctuary rocky shores at the rate of half a dozen per year. The sanctuary is studying how the affected areas recover from the spilled fuel and crushed rock damage these events cause. This will determine the best ways to mitigate damage from different salvage operations and to assess damages to the resources.

As coastal development increases, there is increasing local and regional interest in the impacts of human visitors to the rocky shore. These visitors come for numerous reasons, including sightseeing, collecting bait and "souvenirs", and harvesting food. Trampling from foot traffic is unavoidable during these activities, and the sanctuary is developing a regional plan to address this issue in its current Joint Management Plan Review process.

Other monitoring efforts target black abalone populations, the invasive algae Undaria pinnatifida, and the effects of visitor use on intertidal areas.

For information on these and more projects, click the 'Projects' tab at the top of the page.