California Coast Seafloor

This photograph is of the seafloor off the California coast and shows rock outcrop, encrusting sponge, cup corals, red sea star and a female kelp greenling. This photograph supports the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), which was initiated in 2007 by the California Ocean Protection Council. Data collected during this project reveal the seafloor offshore of the California coast in unprecedented detail and provide an ecosystem context for the effective management of this precious marine resource.