FALL
2009
Channel
Islands 2009 Condition Report
The
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary’s condition
report was released in September 2009. The report summarizes
the pressures the sanctuary is facing as well as the status
and trends of water quality, habitat, living resources, and
marine archaeological resources. The report finds that water
quality is in generally good condition due to the sanctuary’s
offshore location and distance from major urban population
centers. However, habitat quality and living resource conditions
have deteriorated somewhat due to a variety of human activities,
as well as changing ocean conditions and disease. Many management
and regulatory efforts are already in place to help counter
these effects and development of the report has helped to
identify areas where more monitoring and research is needed.
The report is available at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition/welcome.html

Staci
Kaye-Carr, Channel Islands Naturalist Corps Volunteer of the
Year 2009! Staci has been a volunteer in the Channel
Islands Naturalist Corps program since 2004. She is truly
enthusiastic , knowledgeable, and always willing to help out
and share information with others. To know Staci is to catch
her humor and energy. Whether on a whale watch boat, leading
an island hike, manning an outreach booth, or putting on a
puppet show, Staci goes beyond the call of duty to teach the
public about our local marine and Channel Islands environment.
She volunteered over 700 hours this year with the Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National
Park program. Congratulations and thank you, Staci, for your
significant contribution!
Photo caption: Staci Kaye-Carr, Volunteer at left and Shauna
Bingham, Volunteer Outreach Coordinator with Channel Islands
Naturalist Corps Blue Whale Award, October 20, 2009.
Marine Life
Protection Act Initiative – Stakeholder Process Wrapping
Up in Southern California- An
important stakeholder-based phase of the Marine Life Protection
Act Initiative process is being completed in southern California
to assist the state of California in redesigning marine protected
areas (MPAs) along the coast from Point Conception to the
Mexican border (excluding existing MPAs within the Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary). The Marine Life Protection
Act (MLPA) directs the state to reevaluate and redesign California’s
system of MPAs to: increase coherence and effectiveness in
protecting the state's marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems,
and marine natural heritage, as well as to improve recreational,
educational and study opportunities provided by marine ecosystems
subject to minimal human disturbance. For more information
about the process, including maps and public meeting schedules:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa
The science, controversy and impacts of Marine Protected Areas
were reported on in a recent article in the Ventura County
Star: http://www.venturacountystar.com/special/mlpa
Ship
Strike Recommendations Adopted by Sanctuary Advisory Council
Click here for Report
pdf
The
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) Advisory
Council met Friday September 18, 2009, and voted unanimously
to approve recommendations to reduce the threat of ship strikes
on large whales in the Santa Barbara Channel and CINMS. In
general, the recommendations include consideration of research
and monitoring, education and outreach, ship speed reduction,
changes in vessel patterns, and engagement of agency partners
and industry. The Advisory Council has devoted considerable
effort to this issue since several blue whales were struck
in 2007. The advice was developed by the council’s Ship
Strike Subcommittee, a group composed of agency, business,
conservation community, and public partners working with CINMS
staff, and in consultation with shipping industry leaders,
whale experts and others.
For more information, please contact sean.hastings@noaa.gov
Latest National
Marine Sanctuaries Video - Unique Places Addressing Key Issues
Facing
Our World http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/pgallery/video/chow09.mov
During this challenging period marine sanctuaries continued
to connect communities while working on solutions to complex
problems. Now more than ever the protection of sanctuaries
is critical to the health of fragile ecosystems.
Sanctuary Events Calendar
fourth quarter 2009
*Don't
miss our From Shore to Sea Lectures in Santa Barbara &
Ventura the 2nd consecutive Tuesday & Wednesday of each
month!
pdf
The November
10 and 11 lecture topic is Exploring the
Origins of Indigenous People of San Nicholas Island.
Steven Schwartz, senior archeologist and historian from the
United States Navy, will be presenting exciting new research
based on latest findings of the aboriginal inhabitants of
the island.
Robert Schwemmer, maritime heritage coordinator for the Office
of National Marine Sanctuaries West Coast Region and Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and Kelly Minas, archaeologist
from Channel Islands National Park will be speaking about
the Submerged Cultural Resources Program
at the Channel Islands on December 8 and 9.
Through this program more than two dozen historic shipwrecks
and airplanes have been located!
Wrecked
ships and planes ensnared by Channel Islands now offer window
to the past…What lies beneath
Some 700 shipwrecks and plane crashes have occurred
in the Santa Barbara Channel off our coast from Point Mugu
to Point Sal. Take some time and explore some of them. Read
the Ventura County Star article with interactive shipwreck
map.
Update!
Construction to begin soon on CINMS/UCSB Ocean Science Education
Building With construction expected to begin in early
2010, the new Ocean Science Education Building will house
the Outreach Center for Teaching Ocean Science (OCTOS) and
incorporate the educational outreach programs of UCSB's Marine
Science Institute (MSI) and the Channel Islands National Marine
Sanctuary (CINMS). Half of the building will house OCTOS and
include state-of-the-art interactive exhibits in marine science.
The balance of the structure will be a new home for CINMS
administrative offices. For more information about OCTOS:
http://www.msi.ucsb.edu/education/outreach-center-teaching-ocean-science-octos
NOAA
bans commercial harvesting of krill
On July 13, 2009 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) published a final rule in the Federal
Register prohibiting the harvesting of krill in the Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coasts of California, Oregon,
and Washington. The rule goes into effect on August 12, 2009.
Krill are a small shrimp-like crustacean and a key source
of nutrition in the marine food web. The idea to save krill
for marine life originally came from superintendents of the
national marine sanctuaries off California, who became concerned
in 2003 after rockfish populations declined, and later in
2005 when a downturn in krill populations was blamed for starving
sea birds and other West Coast marine life.The krill prohibition
was adopted as Amendment 12 to the Coastal Pelagic Species
Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which was developed by the
Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) under the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Click
here for more information and a printable copy.
Updated
Thank You Ocean Web Site
ThankYouOcean.org has a new Web site! Enter the 30-second
promotional video contest (end date July 10, 2009), join them
on a social network, take the ocean pledge, or listen to the
latest podcast! The new site discusses four major threats
to the ocean, features news reports updated daily, lists ocean
events all over California, and describes actions people can
take every day to protect the ocean.
Spring
2009 Sanctuary Watch – Be sure to read
this issue about Climate Change with Dr. Jane Lubchenco!
National Ocean Service Podcast NOAA’s
National Ocean Service has a weekly podcast series on marine
topics called Making
Waves. Also available is the Diving Deeper podcast
series with interviews of scientists. Learn about harmful
algal blooms with National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
in October!.
Check
out the Sanctuaries on YouTube
"Discover
the marine life and extraordinary habitats that make up your
nation's 13 national marine sanctuaries and one marine national
monument. And find out more about continuing efforts to conserve
these ocean and coastal treasures."
"NOAA's National Ocean Service also features a You Tube
video overview of the National Marine Sanctuary System
@ http://www.youtube.com/usoceangov
"NOAA's
National Ocean Service also features a You Tube
video overview of the National Marine Sanctuary System at
http://www.youtube.com/usoceangov."
Other
Links
• State
of the Sanctuaries Report 2008
• CINMS
Accomplishments Report 2008
• CINMS Advisory
Council Superintendent’s Report
• CINMS
Revised Management Plan Regulations
• Sanctuaries
on Google Earth