 It was one of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, which created a statewide network of marine protected areas along the California coastline.The reserve helps protect some of the central coast’s most heavily used and accessible areas near the shore while leaving most of the coastal waters open for continued fishing.Asilomar SMR is located off the coast of the Monterey Peninsula, at the southern end of Monterey Bay.