Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory CouncilDiverNewsletter
June 2022
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Hello Oliver,
Welcome to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Diver Newsletter. Both Keith and I have been quite busy under the water with many projects. For myself being part of two sub- committees, Sanctuary Tourism and Recreation as well as Strategies on reducing vessel incidents there is much going on behind the scenes. Keith is committed to the Kelp Restoration project on Tanker's Reef. The dive industry and diving in general, still continue to ramp up after a couple of real slow years. The Long Beach Dive show was well attended and showed continuing interest in California Diving. This next meeting we have a couple of important items: This year is the 30th anniversary of MBNMS in which there are several plans in the works with water related activities for the Fall. Additionally another study from GFNMS on climate change will be discussed. This can be a contentious topic, in my circle of diving friends everyone agrees things have changed a lot, reasons and speculations are over the place, but the changes are undeniable and we divers see it in real time. Especially if you have been diving for more than 10-years in Monterey.
Keith formed the non-profit California Kelp Restoration Corps to advance kelp restoration around the Monterey Peninsula and beyond.The Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project at Tanker’s Reef is demonstrating great success at reducing purple and red urchin densities by culling around the underwater cable grid year round.CDFW is reporting the numbers are still below the 2/m2 threshold and now, because the recreational sport fishermen divers make quick work of the large urchins, mostly little urchins remain so the grazing pressure on kelp is even further reduced than the density indicates.After culling 425,749 urchins the result is an abundance of giant kelp in the area where divers were working.Outside of the culling area no kelp can be found and there is not much life besides urchins.
After being denied this spring to expand the effort into more suitable granite substrate, Keith and company are applying for a Scientific Collection Permit with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to defend existing kelp forests before they are eaten by urchins at 3 locations in Monterey Bay and 3 locations in Carmel Bay this year.Find out more information at G2KR.com.
During the week of June 12th the 85 foot dive boatVisionfrom Santa Barbara came to Monterey to take certified Kelp Restoration Divers and divers-in-training out to the Tanker’s Reef Project.The $35 charter benefited the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project and 40 divers completed 73 dives culling urchins on and around the underwater cable grid.Captain Ian andVisionowner Joel even jumped in to see what a successful kelp restoration project looks like when volunteer recreational divers become citizen scientists and transform urchin barrens into a giant kelp forest.The conditions were not the best but everyone enjoyed diving and accomplished a lot of culling in 5-7 foot visibility.Chris McNeely interviewed divers and took pictures for a future cover story in an August issue of the Monterey County Weekly.We’re super stoked and appreciative Channel Island Expeditions is supporting the diving community with kelp restoration and we hope to make this an annual event.
Our Sanctuary Superintendent Lisa Wooninck is an amazing supporter of these projects. Without CDFW and MBNMS support these would not be possible. As always if you have questions for us to put forward we are your communication tools for everything MBNMS. Feel free to reach out via email please
The information and opinions of this article are that of Brian Nelson and Keith Rootsaert of the Sanctuary Advisory Council and do not reflect the views of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Drop us an email at:
Safe Diving,
Brian and Keith
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Do you know how to find out the local beach water quality reports?
Monterey County Health Department Beach Report
Know before you go...Diving
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Netflix’s series features an episode on Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
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On April 13, 2022, Netflix premiered the new limited series “Our Great National Parks” which featured a 52 minute episode on NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. MBNMS staff worked with the UK based Wild Space Productionsand Freeborne Media to issue permits for filming the nature-based documentary within the NOAA Regulated Overflight Zones, and coordinated permitting activities with USFWS and NOAA Fisheries OPR for protected species. Staff consulted on certain filming locations, species, and contributed and reviewed sanctuary messaging for the episode’s script, narrated by President Barack Obama. For more information, see thetrailerand press releaseby Netflix. Some of the marine species featured included orcas, southern sea otters, northern elephant seals, gray whales, and many more. |
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The 22nd Annual Snapshot Day Event Successfully Completed
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On Saturday, May 7th, approximately 80 volunteers collected water samples from creeks flowing to MBNMS from as far north as Pacifica and south to Morro Bay (~225 mi of coast).Samples were collected for lab analysis of nutrients and indicator bacteria and field tests for dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and water clarity; all to determine if conditions in creeks are suitable for cold water fish.This is one of the largest volunteer water quality monitoring events in the state and probably the longest consecutive event of its kind. The results provide resource managers with water quality status and trends of coastal creeks. Volunteers are critical to supporting sanctuary missions.An event of this scale would not be possible without the support of our partners and volunteers.Many of these rivers and creeks would never be monitored except during this event.
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Resource Protection -MBNMS responds to vessel grounding in Santa Cruz
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On the evening of March 27, 2022, the owner of a 26’ sailing vessel alerted authorities that his boat was grounding on the beach in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. After breaking loose from its mooring, it floundered under the wharf and finally landed on the beach. The next day the owner removed all hazardous materials and gear to prepare for a recovery and removal operation. Fortunately, there was no engine and no fuel on board. Sand was noticed filling the boat due to suspected hull damage, ruling out a possible tow off the beach by boat. After additional inspection, it was determined that hiring a tractor/excavator and recovery crew was the best alternative for removal. On March 29th, a crew with a tractor/excavator arrived on scene and by day’s end, the boat and all debris were removed from the beach without further incident. MBNMS Resource Protection Division's Emergency Response Team provides support to MBNMS and our constituents to promote strong, effective and sustainable preparedness, response, and assessment of natural and other emergencies that impact Sanctuaries infrastructure and natural resources.
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Research and Monitoring -Invasive aquatic plant remove efforts
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On April 26, 2022 Dr. Steve Lonhart dove with NMFS scientists to remove an invasive aquatic plant, Egeria densa, from the Middle River of the delta near Stockton, CA.NMFS scientists plan to “test the effects of invasive submerged aquatic vegetation on fish communities and predation risk in the California Delta. We intend to electrofish and use our predation event recorders to sample a study site before and after a vegetation removal to see if the removal results in changes in predation risk or fish community.”Three divers assisted with manual plant removal along the bank of a levee, creating three 50-m stretches without the invasives. NMFS required diving support from ONMS, and as part of our ongoing diving collaborations, we were happy to assist.This experiment may determine if more management of the invasive aquatic weed is needed in areas to support survival of specific fish species |
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Carbon dioxide now more than 50% higher than pre-industrial levels
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Carbon dioxide measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2022 at 421 parts per million in May, pushing the atmosphere further into territory not seen for millions of years, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego announced today.
NOAA's measurements of carbon dioxide at the mountaintop observatory on Hawaii’s Big Island averaged 420.99 parts per million (ppm), an increase of 1.8 ppm over 2021. Scientists at Scripps, which maintains an independent record, calculated a monthly average of 420.78 ppm.
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2022 DEMA is back in Orlando, FL
Mark you Calendars and make your reservations
November 1st through the 4th
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The Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber is one of only two hyperbaric chambers in the United States that is operated by volunteers, the other being the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. It is only with the dedication of our volunteers and the generous financial support of the community that we are able to maintain our 24/7/365 availability. No matter the size, your gifts have significant impacts on the safety for the community. Your tax-deductible donation to the Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamber Fund, through the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation,will go directly towards the facility and its operations.
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Please consider making adonation nowto the Pacific Grove Hyperbaric Chamberto ensure this much needed, lifesavingresource remains open for the community.
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Stranded Dolphin Dies After People Harassed and Rode Her at Beach
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Distressingimagesshared by a marine mammal rescue organization on Tuesday showed a stranded dolphin being harassed by people at a Texasbeach, where she died before help could arrive.
Alongside the photos, the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said in aFacebookpost that the dolphin was stranded alive on Quintana Beach Sunday evening, but beachgoers pushed the animal back to sea, where they attempted to ride and swim with her. After she was stranded again, a crowd of people continued to harass her on the beach.
Although one beachgoer reported the stranded dolphin, she died before rescuers could arrive.
"There is no excuse for the behavior of the beachgoers, attempting to ride, pet, and take photos with the dolphin," Heidi Whitehead of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network toldNewsweek.
Whitehead said these actions are considered harassment, which is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Harassment can include any pursuit or torment that could injure marine mammals, as well as acts that could disturb the animals by disrupting their normal patterns of migration, breathing, feeding, nursing and sheltering.
People who harass wild dolphins can face civil penalties up to $11,000 and up to a year in prison. In 2014, a marine biologist in California was fined $12,500 and handed three years of probation after pleading guilty to feeding killerwhalesin the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
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2022 Sanctuary Advisory Meeting Schedule and Locations
June 17, 2022 - Virtual
August 19, 2022 - Virtual **
October 10, 2022- Virtual **
December 9, 2022 - Virtual **
** Depending on COVID restrictions **
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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) is a federally protected marine area offshore of California's central coast. Stretching from Marin to Cambria, MBNMS encompasses a shorelinelength of 276 miles and 6,094square miles of ocean.
It is home to one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, including numerous mammals, seabirds, fishes, invertebrates and plants in a remarkably productive coastal environment.
MBNMS wasdesignated in 1992for the purpose of resource protection, research, education, and public use of this national treasure. MBNMS is part of a system of 14 National Marine Sanctuaries andtwo marine national monuments, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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