American River Aquatic Reserve was a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island in waters of the coastal lagoon known as Pelican Lagoon, in existence from 1971 to 2016. From 2012, the Pelican Lagoon Sanctuary Zone has fallen within the . Pelican Lagoon is probably the oldest marine protected area in South Australia, having been protected since 1914. It was classified as an IUCN Category II protected area. On 20 October 2016, the reserve was abolished.