More Information
Summary Overview
This coastal area from central Oregon to Cape Mendocino includes high-energy open coast, headlands, submarine canyons, the offshore Heceta Bank, rocky intertidal regions, and reefs, coastal lagoons and estuaries. The southern edge of this PCA includes the tectonic plate, ridges, methane and cold seeps, transition zone, and hydrate ridges found along the Mendocino Fracture. Recently, a deep-sea “reproductive hot spot” for fish and cephalopods was described in this area. In addition to the abundant pinniped populations, this area is characterized by high seabird species diversity, including alcids, tubenoses and cormorants, as well as migratory waterfowl. Marine mammals include gray whale, blue whale and fin whale on their way to the productive feeding grounds of the Arctic and Alaskan waters. This area was in the historic range of sea otter, and sea turtles are occasionally observed during warm-water periods.
Site Overview
This coastal area from central Oregon to Cape Mendocino includes high-energy open coast, headlands, submarine canyons (Astoria and Rogue Rivers), the offshore Heceta Bank, rocky intertidal regions, and reefs, coastal lagoons and estuaries. These rocky shores are artifacts of thousands of years of dynamic geologic processes. The Pacific Ocean has worked against the rocks of the land, exploiting variations of hardness and orientation in the rocks, seeking out the zones of weakness caused by fractures and faults, and eroding deeper into the coastal mountains. This has resulted in hundreds of offshore rocks, haystacks and reefs, including Simpson’s Reef at Cape Arago, a haulout for thousands of pinnipeds. These rocky areas are the tips of extensive underwater rocky landscapes covering thousands of acres. The southern edge of this PCA includes the tectonic plate, ridges, methane and cold seeps, transition zone, and hydrate ridges found along the Mendocino Fracture (where the Pacific Plate and Juan de Fuca plate collide). Recently, a deep-sea “reproductive hot spot” for fish and cephalopods was described in this area (Drazen et al. 2003).
The oceanography of the area is dictated by intense seasonal upwelling and the southward-flowing California current. Strong offshore-flowing currents at coastal headlands during windy periods and returning onshore flows during breaks in upwelling winds drive a coastal system of high biomass productivity. During the winter, there is significant wave exposure on the coast. Shallow banks also have a significant influence on productivity and upwelling. Offshore seafloors contain a variety of deep sea corals (Etnoyer and Morgan 2003).
In addition to the abundant pinniped populations, this area is characterized by high seabird species diversity, including alcids (puffins, murres, guillemots), tubenoses (black-footed albatross, hearwaters, petrels) and cormorants, as well as migratory waterfowl. Marine mammals include gray whale, blue whale and fin whale on their way to the productive feeding grounds of the Arctic and Alaskan waters. This area was in the historic range of sea otter, and sea turtles are occasionally observed during warm-water periods. The extensive kelp beds support a diverse assemblage of rockfishes and invertebrates, including sea urchins, abalone and rock crabs. Salmon, Dungeness crabs, pink shrimp, albacore, yellowfin tuna, rockfishes (snapper), sablefish, soles, flounders and Pacific whiting are all important commercial fishery species in this area.
Fact Sheet
South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (Coos Bay), NOAA [3]
Redwood National Park, US National Park Service
sea otter (historic), killer whale, blue whale, humpback whale, gray whale, northern right whale
short-tailed albatross, pink-footed shearwater, xantus' murrelet
loggerhead turtle, east pacific green turtle, leatherback turtle [4]
High species representation
High diversity of seabirds, including many migratory and transboundary species
Unique coastal geology area, including sharp rocky coastlines
Tectonic plates, ridges, methane and cold seeps, and hydrate ridges found along the Mendocino Fracture
Offshore Heceta Bank is an extremely productive fishing ground
High upwelling/productivity
Threats
| PCA | Extratction of nonrenewable resources | Exploitation of renewable resources | Coastal land use change | Pollution at coast/at sea | Damagin recreational use | Physical alteration of coastline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Oregon/Cape Mendocino (United States) |  |  |  | | | |
MSCCC
MSCCC Mammals: sea otter (historic), killer whale, blue whale, humpback whale, gray whale, northern right whaleMSCCC Birds: short-tailed albatross, pink-footed shearwater, xantus' murrelet
MSCCC Turtles: loggerhead turtle, east pacific green turtle, leatherback turtle [4]
Other Priority Conservation Areas
Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) are areas of trinational importance due to their ecological significance, threatened nature and opportunities for conservation.
