A Historic Alliance to Protect Carmel Bay

Last month, Pebble Beach Company, The Otter Project, California Coastkeeper Alliance, and Monterey Waterkeeper announced a historic alliance to protect water quality in Carmel Bay. This partnership represents a significant step forward for Pebble Beach, Carmel Bay, and ocean waters statewide.

Carmel Bay is home to one of California’s 34 Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) – coastal areas designated by the State of California where especially biodiverse and fragile marine communities must be protected. The Otter Project has a long history of protecting California’s ASBS. As just one example: California Coastkeeper Alliance, Monterey Waterkeeper, and The Otter Project have a pending nomination to designate the Point Sur Marine Protected Areas as an ASBS. If designated, this would be the first new ASBS designated since the mid-1970s.

A key component to California’s ASBS program is its prohibition against pollution into these protected coastal waters. Last year, The Otter Project, California Coastkeeper Alliance, and Monterey Waterkeeper notified Pebble Beach Company of our concerns regarding discharges from Pebble Beach Golf Links into Carmel Bay ASBS, an iconic coastal habitat that is home to extensive kelp forests and a diverse array of marine life, including sea otters.

Rather than entering a prolonged and adversarial legal process, the parties chose to work together to develop a path forward grounded in collaboration, accountability, and a shared commitment to preserving the unique and sensitive ecosystems of Carmel Bay. As part of this, Pebble Beach Company, in coordination with our organizations, will pursue a first-in-nation Clean Water Act permit for discharges from Pebble Beach Golf Links into Carmel Bay ASBS. This effort includes increasing water quality monitoring and developing updated best management practices related to dry-weather and stormwater discharges into Carmel Bay.

This announcement marks a big step forward for California’s most important marine ecosystems, and serves as a hopeful reminder that through cooperation, even complex challenges can lead to positive outcomes.

To stay tuned into The Otter Project’s ongoing ASBS protection work and other efforts to protect the coastal waters that sea otters call home, please consider subscribing to The Otter Project’s newsletter, becoming a member, and following us on social media: @theotterproject.

Cover photo: Allie Caulfield