Rocky Shores: CINMS

The California Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project was started in July 2005 by the SeaDoc Society (UC Davis Wildlife Health Center). Since its inception, the Project has recovered more than 100 tons of lost fishing gear and other marine debris. The California Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project proposes to continue to help reduce the potential impact of lost fishing gear on living marine resources and underwater habitat by retrieving lost fishing gear from Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) and anywhere on the coast where it is a high priority for removal because of demonstrated or potential impacts to marine wildlife and people. 1-888-491-GEAR to report lost, abandoned, and discarded gear. 

Channel Islands National Park (CHIS) includes the five northern islands off the coast of southern California and the surrounding waters out one nautical mile. There are approximately 176 miles of coastline around the islands; about 80% of which is composed of rock. The diversity and undisturbed nature of the tidepools of this rocky coastline was recognized as a special feature of the islands in the enabling legislation. To conserve these communities unimpaired for future generations, the National Park Service has been monitoring the rocky intertidal communities at the islands since 1982.

Channel Islands Naturalist Corps volunteers are trained by CINMS and CINP to educate the public on board local marine excursion vessels conducting whale watch tours, natural history tours, and island trips. Channel Islands Naturalist Corps volunteers are trained to conduct citizen science on marine mammal field identification and general research. Research objectives of the program include the development of a comprehensive database of incidental marine mammal sightings and reports collected in the Santa Barbara Channel, CINMS and CINP.

Repeat mapping of shallow-water environments is essential for monitoring damage and recovery from episodic events (e.g., major storms), as well as chronic coastal erosion and habitat degradation. Bathymetric data covering the shallowest areas (<5 m water depth) can be challenging to collect, yet is critically needed for benthic habitat mapping. These data are also of interest to NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS), in areas such as the Channel Islands, where offshore breakers can prohibit vessels from surveying to the navigation area limit lime (NALL).  Topobathymetric lidar from conventional (manned) aircraft is often an effective technology, but it can be too expensive for repeat monitoring at high temporal frequencies. Furthermore, the mobilization times can be prohibitive when data are needed immediately after a storm or other disaster.

Our coastlines are home to dynamic, highly diverse biological communities that are subject to dramatic changes due to natural phenomena and human activity. MARINe is committed to the long-term study of these rocky intertidal communities across the coast. We invite you to learn about them so that together we can understand how best to protect these valuable resources.

The Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research project (SBC LTER ) is an interdisciplinary research and education program housed at the University of California Santa Barbara. SBC LTER was established in April 2000 with the goal of advancing a predictive understanding of how oceanic and terrestrial processes alter material flows to influence the ecology of coastal ecosystems in a changing climate.