Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory CouncilDiverNewsletter
October 2022
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Hello Oliver,
Welcome to the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Diver newsletter.
The Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project has met the criteria for success and recommended by Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Ocean Protection Council, and Reef Check California.The 2.5 acre experimental grid has transformed from a large urchin barren to a kelp forest in 16 months.The certified kelp restoration divers, Urchinators, culled over half a million urchins in over a thousand dives and the result is a kelp canopy at the surface bigger than any other in South Monterey Bay.The biggest kelp forest in Monterey is agardenoutside of the marine protected areas, which is a weird turn of events in marine management.
Keith Rootsaert has been rallying the community of divers to cull more urchins and inform marine resource managers about how kelp restoration works.He traveled twice recently to the California Natural Resources Agency to learn about funding opportunities and to address the council on the distribution of $1.2 million for development of the Kelp Restoration and Management Plan.This funding aims to develop a plan over the next 4 years to manage kelp restoration but, because the kelp crisis is accelerating, there will not be kelp to manage when it is complete.Ocean Protection Council says there will be actions ahead of completion and we will “Learn by Doing”.
The Ocean Protection Council has included in their Pathways to 30x30document
G2KR’s next event is an update Webinar with Dan Abbott from Reef Check Worldwide and Keith Rootsaert onOctober 25at 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Our local climate is changing and we are in the middle some great diving. It seems the spring months we have been hampered by more winds than in the past. It is a great time to get out and dive, with more sunny days and some odd warm spells It seem now is a great time to take advantage and blow some bubbles.
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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National Marine Sanctuary System USPS Stamp Series Issued
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In celebration of the National Marine Sanctuary System's 50th anniversary, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries teamed up with the U.S. Postal Service to showcase our nation's underwater treasures with 16 new National Marine Sanctuaries Forever® stamps, which showcase the abundant wildlife, scenic beauty, and underwater treasures that can be found throughout the sanctuary system. On August 5th, a First Day of Issuance ceremony was held at the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz, California to celebrate the release of the stamp series, which are now available for purchase and usehere
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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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National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series Reaches Nearly 40,000 Live Attendees since 2016
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Formal and informal educators, students, and other interested people around the globe continue to connect with the National Marine Sanctuary System through our virtual classroom that increases the accessibility of science-based learning. TheNational Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Serieshas been providing audiences with educational and scientific expertise, resources, and training to support ocean and climate literacy in the classroom since 2016. In FY2022, a total of 44 distance-learning opportunities were provided in the series with the majority of them hosted by our field sites with a total 20,755 registrants and 9,591 live attendees. Since 2016, the webinar series has provided live programming to nearly 40,000 live attendees through 157 distance learning programs and webinar presentations.
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New Partnership Reduces Waste in Florida Keys
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Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary recently entered into a new partnership with Brightmark, a company specializing in an innovative advanced recycling technology. Within the sanctuary, a network of more than 900 mooring and zoning buoys protects the sanctuary from resource impacts, including anchoring. The polypropylene downlines that connect the buoys to the seafloor must be replaced every couple of years, and the used material was previously sent to a landfill. Now, the plastic waste gets sent to Brightmark’s first of its kind plastic renewal facility where the lines are converted into pellets, beginning a circular loop where the plastic lives on as a new product in a useful economy. A video on the project is availablehere.
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Sanctuaries Host Shark Science Students
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Over the past few weeks, Gray’s Reef and Channel Islands national marine sanctuaries played host to students fromMinorities in Shark Science (MISS), providing the students the opportunity to participate in field research, learn about national marine sanctuaries, and meet with staff and partners in order to make connections and expand their professional networks. MISS provides funding opportunities and a community for gender minorities of color who wish to enter the field of marine sciences. The visits were made possible through an internal ONMS Diversity and Inclusion mini grant.
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Sanctuary Divers Explore Big Sur Coastline August 17-18, 2022
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During the week of August 12-19, sanctuary divers planned to conduct biodiversity surveys at several sites along the Big Sur coastline as part of the Big Sur Nearshore Characterization program. Weather, including heavy fog, and air compressor issues cut the trip from 5 days down to 36 hours, but divers were able to assess three sites in spite of the obstacles. These data help characterize resources adjacent to highway 1, which is prone to landslides and debris flows in the winter, and guides decisions related to permitted side-casting undertaken by state agencies.When decisions must be made relative to permitting activities, and the disposal of unconsolidated material into the sanctuary, these kinds of data are used to inform staff about the biology below the surface of these2021 and compares those analyses to the 2019 data. Monthly deviation rates by cargo vessels and tankers through the customized alert zone in 2019 and 2020 were analogous while the deviation rates in 2021 were lower even though the total number of cargo and tanker vessel transits through MBNMS was higher in 2021 than in 2019 and 2020.Vessel speeds were analyzed in a variety of ways to help inform managers about the risk of ship strikes to whales. Vessel traffic within MBNMS was a major issue of concern raised during the designation process due to potential impacts from a large spill should one of these vessels ground along the coastline. Tracking compliance with the IMO tracks provided data to support the need to broadcast a Superintendent Statement and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) topublish a Marine Safety/Security Information Bulletin in 2021 to raise awareness of this age-old issue. In addition, these data were essential to support input provided by MBNMS staff to the Pacific Coast Port Access Route Study (PAC-PARS).
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Three Vessels Ground in MBNMS in Two Days
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On Sunday, September 18th, two vessels grounded within hours of each other on Capitola beach near the wharf.One was a 30’ Protector and the other a 30’ sailboat.Both broke free from their mooring balls during an unusual winter storm in September. The owners of each took responsibility and hired TowBoat US to tow them off the beach and to safety at Santa Cruz harbor. The Protector was removed within 2 hours of grounding and the sailboat was removed the following day.Neither resulted in any discharge to the sanctuary. The third grounding occurred on September 19th, when a rogue wave flipped a 23’ Maycraft fishing vessel off the Big Sur coast near Mill Creek. Approximately 30 gallons of fuel was released and sheen observed in the area. The single person on board was rescued by the Big Sur Fire Brigade after the boat grounded upside down on the rocks. When the USCG did an overflight the next morning, there was nothing left of the vessel. It had broken into pieces within 12 hours. It is critical to act fast when a vessel grounds to ensure minimal impact to sanctuary resources. Owners with insurance are able to quickly hire salvors to tow the vessel off the beach before it breaks apart in the high energy surf zone.
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Monterey Bay SAR Missions Day
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On Saturday, September 11th, Resource Protection staff participated in the Monterey Bay Search and Rescue Council Missions Day event, coordinated by USCG Station Monterey.The Council is a unified response and partnership with Federal, State and local agencies to serve and safeguard the public in the maritime environment of the Monterey Bay area.Many different first responder organizations participated showcasing their vehicles and response gear.MBNMS, with assistance from WCRO, had the R/VTegulaon display alongside our table of brochures and handouts.The public was able to climb around on a USCG helicopter, cutter and small boats. This event was a great opportunity for the public to interact with maritime first responders from around the Monterey Bay area and learn more about the sanctuary, see the equipment that is available in case of emergency, and tour the rescue vessels and aircraft.
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MBNMS Resource Protection Team Finalize the 2020 and 2021 Vessel Traffic Report
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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS or sanctuary) staff analyzed Automated Information System (AIS) data from Marine Traffic and United States Coast Guard (USCG) to evaluate compliance by cargo vessels and tankers with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommended vessel tracks. The2020/2021 MBNMS Traffic Analysis Reportevaluates the AIS data for 2020 and2021 and compares those analyses to the 2019 data. Monthly deviation rates by cargo vessels and tankers through the customized alert zone in 2019 and 2020 were analogous while the deviation rates in 2021 were lower even though the total number of cargo and tanker vessel transits through MBNMS was higher in 2021 than in 2019 and 2020.Vessel speeds were analyzed in a variety of ways to help inform managers about the risk of ship strikes to whales. Vessel traffic within MBNMS was a major issue of concern raised during the designation process due to potential impacts from a large spill should one of these vessels ground along the coastline. Tracking compliance with the IMO tracks provided data to support the need to broadcast a Superintendent Statement and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) topublish a Marine Safety/Security Information Bulletin in 2021 to raise awareness of this age-old issue. In addition, these data were essential to support input provided by MBNMS staff to the Pacific Coast Port Access Route Study (PAC-PARS).
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First Flush Event Launched
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The unexpected first rainfall of the year in Monterey on 9/18/22 brought over 1 inch of precipitation to many of the coastal areas on the Peninsula.The MBNMS citizen science volunteer program rallied 18 volunteers to help with monitoring runoff flowing from regional storm drains in Seaside, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel. Volunteers took in situ measures of temperature and conductivity and captured water samples for lab analysis of bacteria, nutrients and suspended solids. The first rainfall represents the potential for the highest concentration of pollutants in the season as the water collects chemicals from the surfaces of lawns, streets and sidewalks.By engaging our citizen science network, we were able to monitor and track concentrations in runoff from 11 storm drains.Our trend analysis over the 21 years of the program shows that water quality is improving based on BMPs installed by municipalities
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KSBW
He said that they're mostly male sea lions that are returning to Monterey BayNational Marine Sanctuaryafter breeding to rest and find food.
San Francisco Chronicle-... said Lindsey Peavey Reeves, a scientist with National Marine Sanctuary Foundation who collaborates with Ryan and Oestereich on whale research.
Earth.com
... happening in MPAs,” said study co-author Jessica Morten, a resource protection specialist at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
KCRW-Five national marine sanctuaries are located off the California coast, and one more is on the way. “The Commerce Department is in the process of ...
Patch-Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries formed a Joint Ship Strike Working Group to evaluate potential management options ...
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The Western Flyer Foundation stirs curiosity by connecting art, literature, and science, drawing from the collaborative vision of John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts. The Foundation’s educational programs will provide creative outreach opportunities both on land and aboard theWestern Flyer. TheWestern Flyerwill offer free, at-sea experiential learning for school children from Alaska to Mexico.
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2022 Sanctuary Advisory Meeting Schedule and Locations
October 10, 2022 - Moss Landing **
December 9, 2022 - Monterey **
** 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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