Above: Aerial view of Government Point, located within Point Conception State Marine Reserve and Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. This marine protected area contains kelp forests, surfgrass beds, and rocky reefs surrounded by sandy seafloor. It also hosts an abundance of diverse fish, invertebrates, birds, and marine mammals. (Image credit: NOAA)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced during October 2024 that it is designating 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters along 116 miles of California’s central coast as America’s 17th national marine sanctuary.
The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (as it has been named) will conserve the area’s diverse range of marine life and celebrate Indigenous peoples’ connections to the region. It is the third largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System.
This is the first new sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System specifically managed for biodiversity conservation since the designation of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary in 1994. In contrast, the three other sanctuaries designated over the past three decades were primarily focused on maritime heritage and cultural resource preservation.
The boundary of Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary covers 4,543 square miles of coastal and ocean waters offshore Central California stretching out to nearly 60 miles from shore and down to a maximum depth of 11,580 feet. This area is an important and vibrant ecological transition zone with high biological productivity that supports dense aggregations of marine life, including a plethora of sea birds, marine mammals, invertebrates, and fishes. Habitats within these waters range from lush kelp forests to rocky reefs to sandy beaches, as well as significant offshore features like the Rodriguez Seamount, Arguello Canyon, and a portion of Santa Lucia Bank.
“This milestone in our commitment to Indigenous communities and natural lands will boost recreation, tourism and other local industries along California’s central coast,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
Stretching from just south of Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County to the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, the sanctuary will bring comprehensive community- and ecosystem-based management to nationally significant natural, historical, archeological and cultural resources — including kelp forests, rocky reefs, sandy beaches, underwater mountains and more than 200 NOAA-documented shipwrecks.
Unique to Chumash Heritage is the Rodriguez Seamount, a unique underwater mountain that will receive extra protections through sanctuary regulations specific to this zone. The summit rises more than 5,000 feet from the seafloor to a depth of just over 2,000 feet. It has been explored on several research cruises by NOAA and partners, and will be a priority research area in the new sanctuary. Like other seamounts, it is home to an astonishing variety of marine life, like bamboo and bubblegum corals, sponges, and brittle stars.
“NOAA recognizes and celebrates this unique area’s modern day and historic cultural connections to Indigenous peoples. Tribal and Indigenous communities will be co-stewards, as informed by their values, knowledge and traditions,” said NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad, Ph.D. “The sanctuary designation will support and conserve the area’s rich biodiversity, create new opportunities for research and economic development, including recreation and tourism, and co-exist with renewable energy, fisheries and other sustainable ocean uses.”
The sanctuary’s boundaries exclude areas where future subsea electrical transmission cables and floating offshore substations could be installed outside the sanctuary to connect the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area to the electrical power grid at Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon Power Plant, ensuring that the sanctuary meets both conservation and clean energy goals. NOAA will consider a potential expansion of the sanctuary in the coming years, after transmission cables have been laid.
“The announcement of NOAA designating Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, the organization that nominated the sanctuary in 2015 under the leadership of her father, the late Chief Fred Collins. “This recognition is a crucial moment for our community. It will not only raise awareness of the Chumash People around the world, but also honor the legacy of my late father and affirm our commitment to the stewardship of our land. I hope we will be remembered for our dedication to actively protecting and nurturing Mother Earth and Grandmother Ocean.”
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is the fifth designated in California and one of the largest in the National Marine Sanctuary System. The sanctuary designation will take effect following 45 days of continuous session of the U.S. Congress, which is anticipated to be in December 2024.
To read more in-depth information about the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, click HERE.
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