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Sancutary Program Accomplishments Open Ocean & Deep Water Systems Endangered & Threatened Species
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Established in 1992, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the largest of twelve Sanctuaries nationwide managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Encompassing over 5,300 square miles of water, the Sanctuary stretches along the Central California Coast from Marin County in the north to Cambria in the south. The Sanctuary contains many diverse ecosystems, ranging from rocky shores and kelp forests to the largest underwater canyons on the West Coast. These habitats abound with life. Huge blue whales forage in these waters for tiny plankton, while schools of sardines swim near jellies drifting with the currents. Our mission is to protect the ecological and cultural integrity of the Sanctuary. To carry out this mission more effectively, we improved the organization of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary program by clearly defining four divisions in 1998: resource protection, education, research, and program support. Although these divisions work together on projects, each brings a particular focus. Following is a summary of the major accomplishments and activities within each division for 1998.
Beginning in 1997 NOAA, represented by the Sanctuary, and the U.S. Coast Guard met with representatives from the shipping and petroleum industries, conservation organizations, other government agencies, and the public at large to evaluate ways of reducing the risk of groundings and collisions while sustaining the economic vitality of the shipping industry. In June of 1998 the group recommended a proposal, which includes modifying the port approaches to San Francisco Bay and the Santa Barbara Channel, moving container ships and bulk product carriers approximately ten miles further offshore, better organizing traffic patterns for all types of large vessels, and strengthening vessel monitoring and education.
Sanctuary staff responded to two oil spill events in 1998. In January, a tarball incident occurred off Point Reyes which killed or debilitated at least 600 marine birds, particularly Common Murres. Most of the birds washed ashore on beaches from Point Reyes National Seashore in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary to beaches in the northern part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The source of the oil remains unknown, but chemical fingerprinting of oil samples has eliminated the possibility that the tarballs came from natural seeps. The Sanctuary and several other government agencies are evaluating damages that occurred during the spill and the origin of the spill, and assessing the impact of the tarball incidents on Central California bird populations. In September oil from a slick washed ashore along the San Mateo County coast. Responders recovered about thirty barrels at sea and about 9,000 pounds of oily tarballs from beaches from San Francisco to Santa Cruz County. Marine life was affected in both the Monterey Bay and Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuaries. Several hundred oiled birds (mostly Common Murres) were found, but it is estimated that hundreds more were lost at sea. Bird recovery and evaluation by several agencies, including the Sanctuaries, was paramount to the investigation and restoration of oiled wildlife. In cooperation with other government agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard investigated the cause of the spill, resulting in the U.S. Attorney's Office alleging that it came from the T/V Command. In December a federal grand jury delivered three indictments against the ship's owner, ANAX Intern-ational Agencies, the vessel's captain, and the vessel's chief engineer for criminal violations of the Federal Clean Water Act. The vessel owners have not admitted guilt. The criminal case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The agencies, public, and private groups who are members of the Sanctuary's Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP) continued addressing polluted runoff from agricultural sources in 1998. A draft plan for agriculture was completed which includes a commitment by the California Farm Bureau Federation and six regional Farm Bureaus to take a leadership role in addressing polluted runoff. The commitment was formalized in an agreement signed in November establishing the Central Coast Farm Bureau Coalition. The Coalition will focus on educating its members on polluted runoff, establishing landowner committees and pilot projects in several watersheds to strengthen on-farm management practices, developing grower self-monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the practices, and serving as a liaison with the WQPP and the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB).
The RWQCB has helped implement the WQPP's regional monitoring strategy. These monitoring efforts will be strengthened by a new grant to develop a coordinated citizen's water quality monitoring network for the Sanctuary (under the direction of the Center for Marine Conservation and the Coastal Watershed Council) and by a grant we received jointly with the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District to characterize and monitor sedimentation in the Pescadero watershed. Finally, several grants have been approved to implement agricultural strategies. A Model Urban Runoff Program (MURP) was completed through the joint efforts of the cities of Monterey and Santa Cruz, the California Coastal Commission, the Sanctuary, and other groups. The MURP is a comprehensive how-to guide for small cities struggling to address the issue of urban runoff. Implementation is underway in Monterey and Santa Cruz, and many other cities have expressed interest in carrying it out.
The first of its kind in California, the Urban Watch Stormdrain Monitoring Program (initiated by the Sanctuary, City of Monterey, and Coastal Watershed Council) serves as a model for other small cities. Data from the volunteers who monitored storm drains in 1997-1998 consistently showed high detergent levels along Cannery Row, resulting in an outreach effort to educate the restaurant community about urban runoff pollution and simple changes in cleaning practices that can reduce detergent outflow. Restaurants have been receptive to the effort and have provided valuable input for future educational efforts. Sanctuary staff produced Watersheds to Sea Shores, a video on water quality issues featuring interviews with growers, ranchers, and watershed educators. The video showcases farmlands, coastal urbanized areas, sensitive rivers, and offshore habitats to illustrate the link between Central Coast watersheds and the Sanctuary. Designed for high schools, colleges, businesses, and the agricultural community, it has already won a first place recognition award at the 1998 Santa Cruz Environmental Film Festival.
The Monterey Bay and Channel Islands Sanctuaries participated in the JASON Project during March. World-famous ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard (discoverer of the wreck of the RMS Titanic) founded the JASON Project, a year-round scientific expedition and distance learning program designed to excite and engage teachers and students in science and technology. For two weeks in March, "you-are-there" telecommunications transported millions of students worldwide live via satellite into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Students watched the expedition, interacted with Dr. Ballard and local scientists, and controlled live-feed video cameras, all from the Sanctuary and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The two-week research voyage involved two teams of student "Argonauts" based in Monterey, who conducted their own research projects and reported back to students worldwide on the Internet. Much of the Argonauts' research comparing the surface, mid-level, and deep sea ocean environments of Monterey Bay and Bermuda was conducted aboard the R/V McArthur, a 175-foot NOAA research ship. Sanctuary staff also participated in organizing the Oceans Fair, a huge community event celebrating our deep connection to the ocean. Held during the National Ocean Conference in June, the fair attracted more than 10,000 visitors to Monterey's Custom House Plaza. Visitors enjoyed spectacular marine technology exhibits, environmental activity booths, continuous music and entertainment, and a flotilla of research ships including NOAA's R/V David Starr Jordan. At the Technology Pavilion, visitors could make a 3-D video flyby of the wreckage of the Titanic, take the controls of a NOAA robot sub working in Monterey Bay, explore the Bay in 3-D, and visit a virtual kelp forest created by the Naval Postgraduate School. Visitors could also see the Deep Worker submersible which Dr. Sylvia Earle will use in 1999 to explore the nation's twelve National Marine Sanctuaries, and view live video broadcasts from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's remotely-operated vehicle deep in Monterey Bay. Some of the ways in which we affect the ocean, and Monterey Bay in particular, were the subject of presentations by an impressive array of speakers at the 1998 Sanctuary Currents Symposium, held during March in Santa Cruz. Speakers discussed the impacts of vessel traffic, fisheries, ecotourism, coastal development, exotic species, toxic chemicals, and global warming. Visitors also viewed research posters highlighting scientific work underway around Monterey Bay and exhibits of Sanctuary-related conservation and education groups. In addition, participants honored individuals and organizations for their dedication to the Sanctuary.
With over twenty research institutes, the broader Monterey Bay region is recognized world-wide as a center of excellence for marine science. To facilitate coordinated research throughout the Sanctuary, the Sanctuary's Research Activity Panel, consisting of representatives from all these institutions, met nine times this year. The results of collaborative research funded or organized by the Sanctuary Program and the Research Activity Panel are presented throughout this report: restoring Rhinoceros Auklet populations on Año Nuevo Island (see p. 19), studying human disturbances in kelp forests (see p. 7), monitoring birds and mammals on the water and dead on the beaches (see pp. 20 - 21), and assessing coastal erosion (see p. 5). Moreover, the Sanctuary staff organized cruises on the 175-ft. NOAA R/V McArthur to describe ocean currents and map essential fish habitats along the Big Sur Coast (see pp. 7-8), map the continental shelf between Carmel and San Francisco (see p. 11), assess oceanographic conditions of El Niño (see pp. 11-12), and determine why the Sanctuary is a critical area for whales (see p. 17). The Sanctuary staff has also started using our aircraft to monitor seal and sea lion rookeries and kelp canopies, and more standard techniques to survey for the European green crab. This introduced species has now spread south from San Francisco, but has not become abundant in Elkhorn Slough, perhaps because it is within the sea otter range. We're proud to have graduated a new class of Beach COMBERS volunteers to expand the beaches we can survey (see p. 20). This group provided information critical to assessing the impacts of significant red tide events, and data that resulted in placing observers on fishing boats to assess mortality of birds and mammals in gill nets. At long last a regional geographic information system (GIS) for mapping resource management information in a useful format was made available by our office. It includes masses of data on fisheries, water quality, shoreline physical and biological information, and even the pinniped haul-out data collected from our NOAA plane over the last year.
The Sanctuary Advisory Council (an appointed group of volunteers and agency representatives who provide diverse perspectives and expertise from an array of Sanctuary constituencies) met regularly in 1998 to assist staff in building short-term and long-term plans, receive information and concerns from stakeholders on current issues, and bring additional technical and other information to the Superintendent as requested. The Council played an active role in 1997-98 strategic planning, and has been asked for future assistance in addressing the National Marine Sanctuaries program's strategic initiatives: human activities assessment and threat reduction, zonal management, cultural resources, program reauthorization, water quality, and habitat characterization. The Council also worked closely with its four Working Groups (Research, Education, Conservation, and Business and Tourism) to seek information and advice relating to the management of the Sanctuary's resources. Issues of concern in 1998 included a comprehensive Vessel Traffic Study, the impacts of kelp harvesting, the live fish fishery, finalization of the Jade Rule for collection of jade in limited areas of the Sanctuary, invasive species in vessel ballast water, and the Highway 1 Management Plan. Several of these are ongoing areas of concern which will receive additional attention during 1999. The Council will also play an expanded role in educating the public about the Sanctuary program and in fulfilling its liaison responsibilities between its constituencies and the Sanctuary staff. In January a new Sanctuary website was unveiled with many added and advanced features, such as links to the Sanctuary's listservs and online databases. For instance, the Site Characterization, summarizing what is known about the ecosystems of the Sanctuary, was expanded to include a chapter on the open ocean. Our web page continues to be a source for timely information on Sanctuary activities. |
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Portions
of the plan will be implemented during 1999, while
other strategies requiring international approval
will be presented to the International Maritime
Organization of the United Nations. Completion of
this plan represents a major step towards long-term
protection of the Sanctuary.
El
Niño-driven storms in February tore up
Highway 1 through Big Sur in over eighty locations.
In past years, such a massive road repair project
would have led CalTrans to rebuild the road by
dumping rock, soil, and repair debris into the
ocean, thereby violating the regulation prohibiting
discharging into the Sanctuary. Working directly
with CalTrans and other agencies, we crafted a
repair program for Highway 1 which allowed CalTrans
to clear landslides and repair washouts unabated,
while avoiding any dumping in the Sanctuary. These
efforts averted discharging a quarter to a half
million cubic yards of material into the ocean,
thus avoiding the loss of productive intertidal and
subtidal habitat and possible impacts to commercial
and recreational fishing. CalTrans conducted
repairs in an environmentally sensitive manner
without delaying the re-opening of a highway
crucial to businesses in Big Sur and the Monterey
Peninsula.
The
Sanctuary's WQPP began implementing strategies
identified in its urban runoff, marinas and
boating, regional monitoring, and agricultural
plans as well. A new project included installing
and monitoring the effectiveness of stormwater
filters in trapping oil, sediment, and trash from
the paved areas at Monterey Harbor and Fisherman's
Wharf. In cooperation with Save Our Shores, oil
absorptive pads were distributed and outreach
conducted to boaters at the region's harbors. Two
other projects were begun to install bilgewater and
crankcase oil pumpout facilities at the harbors and
conduct outreach to the fishing
community.
In
addition to education focused on water quality
issues, staff was involved with many other outreach
efforts. Volunteer fish enthusiasts helped to make
the fifth annual Great American Fish Count a huge
success. Over 100 new and returning fish counters
attended training seminars in Santa Cruz, Pacific
Grove, Cambria, and the San Francisco Bay area.
Divers logged nearly 100 hours of bottom time
counting eighty-one different species of fish at
twenty different locations throughout the
Sanctuary. Of the eighty-one species recorded,
divers observed señorita wrasses on 78
percent of their dives, followed closely by the
colorful bottom-dwelling painted greenling. Of the
127 surveys collected, sixty-eight were submitted
by divers who counted fish along Cannery
Row.