Coastal waters

Coastal waters are broad habitats that extend from the shoreline to within 200 nautical miles of the coast.

Many ocean animals seek out coastal habitats to hunt and forage for food, give birth, and raise their young. Coastal currents and pollution from land heavily influence these areas.

Related exhibits and live cams

Exhibit

Life on the Bay

Our Life on the Bay exhibit offers a great vantage point to spot wildlife, from sea otters to humpback whales.

Explore exhibit

Live cam

Monterey Bay Cam

Watch our live web cam of Monterey Bay and look for otters, birds, and sailboats on Monterey Bay.

Watch cam

How species adapt

Often called "nearshore" waters, coastal waters overlap with and include other well-known habitats: beaches and dunes, sandy seafloors, rocky shores, kelp forests, and coastal wetlands. By looking at these habitats collectively as part of the larger coastal waters habitat, we can get a better idea of how each is intricately connected.

Coastal waters are unique places where we can experience, view and study ocean animals in their own realm—feeding, resting, playing, traveling and living in their natural environment.

Seasonal visitors

Close-up portrait of California sea lion raising snout upward among resting colony on sandy beach

A translucent blue cross jelly with delicate white trailing tentacles floating against a dark black background with faint marine snow

A humpback whale breaching revealing hundreds of white barnacles on its body

White sharks return to coastal waters in late summer and early fall after spending months traveling the open sea as far west as Hawaii.

Horned and tufted puffins live primarily on the open ocean, but return in summer to coastal nesting grounds, where they mate and raise their chicks.

California sea lions appear in coastal waters throughout the year, heading onshore in spring to molt, give birth and raise their pups.

Cross jellies, carried by ocean currents, drift in large groups into coastal waters during spring and summer.

Humpback and gray whales travel to coastal waters twice a year to feed on abundant supplies of krill, sardines and anchovies.

Schoolers, bottom dwellers and high flyers

Common murre on haulout in Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit

A California brown pelican glides above the surface of the water in the Elkhorn Slough

Pacific white-sided dolphins travel coastal waters in schools, or groups, of 10 to 100 animals. These extremely playful dolphins are often seen “bow riding” (swimming near the front part of a ship) and jumping or somersaulting in the air.

Anchovies swim in schools of thousands to avoid hungry predators. With all those moving targets, it's hard for a predator to focus on just one.

Sandbar sharks and Pacific angel sharks spend their days in sandy or muddy areas close to land, where they wait for small fishes to swim within gulping distance.

Common murres hunt off coastal waters, returning to shore to nest on bare rocks or steep cliffs.

Brown pelicans dive bomber-style from as high as 60 feet, hunting anchovies and other small fishes that school near the surface of coastal waters.

A common sight on wharfs, jetties and docks, western gulls catch fish in coastal waters by diving or wading. To break open the shells of their prey—like sea urchins and clams—western gulls drop them from high in the air to hard surfaces below.

How this habitat changes

People interact with this habitat daily, regularly changing the natural environment and affecting the animals that live here.

Overfishing

Commercial and recreational fishing create imbalances that affect all marine life. Overfishing occurs when animals are taken from the ocean faster than they can reproduce. More than 170 billion pounds (77 Kg) of marine life is removed from the world’s oceans each year. As of 2016, more than half of the world’s assessed fish populations were reported as fully-fished.

Pollution

Plastic packaging, plastic waste and discarded fishing gear often harm animals in this habitat. Birds and marine life are easily tangled in fishing nets. And birds, fish and marine mammals commonly mistake shiny wrappers, balloon scraps, colorful bottle caps, straws and other debris for food, which can cause them to get sick or die after ingesting the plastic.

Pesticides, fertilizers, motor oil, and other pollutants from urban runoff also threaten this habitat.

Climate change

Rising sea levels and coastal development are eroding shorelines, which in turn is altering coastal habitats.

A California sea lion lifting its head among a crowded colony of resting sea lions on a sandy shore — A California sea lion *(Zalophus californianus)* on the rocks near Breakwater Cove in Monterey, CA.

Close-up of a seagull perched on a railing with a yellow-tipped beak, overlooking a sunny coastal pier with blurred visitors and ocean in the background — A Western gull (*Larus occidentalis*) on the railings of the back deck of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Things to look for and notice

From shore, look for the distinctive spouts of water belonging to migrating whales. Watch for pelicans diving, gulls gliding overhead and murres swimming on the surface. If you surf, kayak, paddleboard or sail, watch for dolphins frolicking in the waves, and sea otters floating in the kelp.

Humpback whale breaches the surface of the water just outside the Monterey Bay — A humpback whale (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) breaching.

Large raft of sea otters floating among kelp fronds in open ocean at golden hour — A raft of Southern sea otters (*Enhydra lutris nereis*) in Elkhorn Slough.

How to enjoy and protect this habitat

People are having a greater impact on the ocean’s inhabitants and water quality. We can help keep seas healthy by supporting effective environmental legislation, respecting and obeying fishing regulations, keeping trash off of our beaches and safely disposing of toxic chemicals.

Buy sustainable seafood

Choose seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that support a healthy ocean. Download our Seafood Watch consumer guides to learn which fish to choose at your favorite grocery store or restaurant, and which you should avoid. Learn other ways you can speak up for sustainable seafood.

Reduce your plastic use

Plastic pollution kills fish, birds, other marine life who mistake trash for food or get entangled in it. And sadly, plastic waste in our oceans is piling up. You can help by carrying reusable shopping bags, reusable utensils and a reusable water bottle with you whenever you go out. Reduce your own plastic use by saying “no thanks” to single-use plastic that is offered to you. Whenever possible, practice the four R’s: Reduce, reuse, recycle and repair.

Reduce your carbon footprint

Climate change and ocean acidification are profoundly affecting animals that live in coastal waters. You can help by making choices that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases you produce each day:

Bike or walk instead of drive, take public transportation, and drive a fuel-efficient vehicle.
Buy energy-efficient appliances, and use less fossil fuel energy at home.
Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet; livestock production contributes to the emissions that cause climate change.

Find more climate-friendly actions you can take to protect the ocean.