This polygon shapefile depicts kelp beds along the California coast, which are a critical habitat for many important sport and commercial species of invertebrates and fishes. The 1989 California Coastal Kelp Resources Survey is a statewide mapping of kelp, acquired under contract by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife from ECOSCAN Resources. Aerial photos, taken in July through October 1989, were projected onto 1:24000 United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps and kelp canopy features were delineated. Kelp distribution on this map represents the largest possible extent of kelp canopy and subsurface kelp based on these data, which represent the best readily available information. The maps include the topographic base, shorelines, watercourses, rocky intertidal zones, offshore rocks/islands, sand beaches, selected geographic place names and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) administrativeteal kelp bed numbers. Details on kelp bed designations and harvest regulations are set forth in Title 14 California Code of Regulations, Section 165.5. Detailed methodology of kelp mapping is available from ECOSCAN Resources. CDFW scanned the original 24'x36' black and white paper maps into packbit-compressed tif images and georeferenced them to the above USGS base using a custom ARC/INFO application developed by ESRI. File reindexed to match CDFW administrative kelp bed boundaries modified by changes to California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 165, effective April 1, 2014. This coverage can be used for kelp harvest assessment, kelp bed lease management, and related biological applications. Kelp bed area statistics were compiled from this and previous surveys. These are public data. The Department of Fish and Wildlife must be credited with the collection, analysis and distribution of these data. This layer is presented in the WGS84 coordinate system for web display purposes. Downloadable data are provided in native coordinate system or projection.
Creator:
California. Department of Fish and Game. Marine Resources Region
Publisher:
California. Department of Fish and Game. Marine Resources Region