The Office of Administrative Law approved the Channel Islands MPA regulatory action and filed it with the Secretary of State on March 10, 2003. The regulations took effect on April 9, 2003.

In 1998 the Channel Islands Marine Resources Restoration Committee, a group of concerned citizens, requested the Fish and Game Commission (Commission) to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas around the northern Channel Islands. This request preceded the Marine Life Protection Act by nearly one year. As a result of the request, the Commission directed the Department of Fish and Game (Department) and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (Sanctuary) to jointly support a process to discuss MPAs in the Channel Islands area. After more than 2 years of meetings involving a broad based constituent group, the Department and Sanctuary drafted a recommendation for Channel Islands MPAs. This recommendation became part of a range of alternatives. For more information on the constituent based process visit the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary web site at:

http://channelislands.nos.noaa.gov.