The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) is pursuing a new marine sanctuary in Central California to be managed in partnership with the Chumash Tribe. The sanctuary would protect ocean biodiversity, including salmonids, and would advance environmental justice through collaborative management. However, NOAA’s current proposal provides several options for the sanctuary designation area, none of which include Morro Bay and Lisamu (Morro Rock). The Chumash Tribe has voiced how important it is to include that area within the new sanctuary boundaries because of the significant cultural significance the area represents to the Tribe.
CalTrout encourages you to support the Northern Chumash Tribal Council’s originally nominated boundary, which protects 7,600 square miles and over 156 miles of coastline, including Lisamu, for continuous protection.
“Including the waters between Point Buchon and Cambria will close a biodiversity protection gap along the California coast. This will protect the only eel grass bed in a 300-mile stretch of coast, many historic Chumash sites, numerous protected marine mammals and shorebirds, the area with the highest population of sea otters on the California coast, several State Marine Conservation Areas, the kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel, and rocky intertidal marine habitat considered to be one of the most diverse and abundant in the world.” – Northern Chumash Tribal Council
Under sanctuary status, electric transmission cables can be permitted under certain conditions, while other activities, such as offshore oil development and dumping, would be prohibited. There are no new fishing regulations proposed in the designation.
Learn more about NOAA’s current proposed sanctuary here. Learn more about the Chumash Tribal Council’s originally nominated boundary here.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.
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Let’s protect as much marine environment, ecosystems, and biodiversity as possible for future generations. Thank you!