Laguna Ocean Foundation and city officer urge tide‑pool stewardship, warn of citations

Elena Ader, of the Laguna Ocean Foundation, said the foundation will offer free tide‑pool education at eight Laguna Beach sites this summer and across 2025, and urged visitors to observe but not disturb marine life.

The program, Ader said, will use biologists and volunteer tide‑pool docents at high‑visitation locations including Treasure Island at the base of the Montage, Heisler Park next to Main Beach, Crescent Bay, Shaw’s Cove, Woods Cove and Goff Island. "The less human interaction with a tidepool species, the better," she said, adding that the foundation teaches visitors to "look but don't touch, leave things as you found them, and don't collect seashells or any other marine life." Ader also listed actions people can take at home, such as reducing plastic use, picking up litter and cutting back on herbicides or pesticides that can reach the ocean.

Avery Wickham, marine protection officer for the city of Laguna Beach, said Laguna Beach's ocean environment is protected under "California's marine protection laws" and that "most of Laguna Beach's environment is in a no take zone." Wickham said that means visitors cannot fish, trap or remove marine species or materials — "even seashells" — and that those prohibitions cover fishing from shore and from vessels. "We all do the same thing, protect our marine environment in a friendly way and to educate our residents and our visitors to stay safe while tide pooling," Wickham said, and added that officers can issue citations for violations.

Both speakers emphasized stewardship and education as the primary goals of outreach. Ader described the aim as ensuring the tide pools can be "enjoyed later" by current visitors and "future generations to come." Wickham encouraged people to greet officers or docents and to ask questions about the marine environment.

No formal votes or council actions on the program or enforcement were recorded in the meeting transcript.