South Coast Iconic Places: South La Jolla

La Jolla: The Jewel in San Diego’s Ocean Crown

Each year, more than two million visitors are drawn to La Jolla Shores.  La Jolla’s lush kelp forest provides food and shelter for hundreds of species, from tiny invertebrates to fish, mammals and birds. La Jolla boasts one of southern California’s most vibrant kelp forests,the region’s largest and most biodiverse rocky reef, and San Diego’s
biggest concentration of red urchin reefs and canopy gardens.  Click here to send a letter to California's Fish and Game Commission asking them to protect La Jolla.

Sea Life of La Jolla
Southern La Jolla is the foundation of the area’s food web, and helps to seed surrounding waters with fish and invertebrates. Divers and snorkelers can see leopard sharks, rays and shovelnose
guitarfish, as well as brilliant orange garibaldi swimming in the kelp
and surf grass.

La Jolla’s diverse habitats are home to spawning grunion, black sea bass and leopard sharks.  Expanding existing protections would help boost rockfish, abalone, and lobster populations, benefiting fishermen who ply the waters of northern La Jolla, which would remain open for fishing.

Why Preserve La Jolla
A growing population and dense coastal development make ocean protection at La Jolla critical. The area’s rich waters are suffering from overfishing, climate change and other human impacts. A strong marine protected area plan will provide economic as well as ecological benefits, helping to support the local tourism, diving, boating, whale watching and fishing industries and allowing sensitive sea life and habitats to recover and thrive.

Get Involved
We need your help to protect south La Jolla, and ensure the ocean plan meets science guidelines.
Become a friend of the Save South La Jolla page on Facebook today!
Click here to send a letter to California's Fish and Game Commission asking them to protect La Jolla.