A new public service announcement by Pierce Brosnan and other celebrities urges support for the state’s effort to create marine protection zones off the California coast, including Orange County’s.

The minute-long video, “MPAs work,” is for now in “viral launch” on YouTube and a marine protection web site, said Sarah Sikich, coastal resources director for the Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay. MPAs are marine protected areas.

“We’re also in the process of discussing it with various TV stations,” Sikich said.

“Please help us by attending public meetings or sending letters of support,” Brosnan says in the video, which includes appearances by John C. McGinley and Christa Miller of “Scrubs,” model and volleyball player Gabby Reece, actress Amy Smart and others. All volunteered their time.

The spot puts star power behind a campaign by environmental activists to create new marine protected areas along the coastline. One such effort is now underway for the Southern California coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego, one of several for various sections of coastline that are either approved or in the works.

The Southern California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative  – like the others, a public-private partnership with state wildlife officials – has drawn opposition from the sportfishing community, in part because it would likely close off a portion of the Laguna Coast to fishing.

Marine protected areas can take a variety of forms, from those with outright fishing bans to those with lesser restrictions. The idea is to create a chain of thriving marine habitats linked by currents, and to consolidate many of the existing marine reserves.

The three leading proposals for Southern California were recently reviewed by a science advisory panel, and will be considered by a blue-ribbon task force Oct. 20-22 at a public meeting in Long Beach.

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