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The Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary was
formed in 1980 to protect natural resources and to promote
research and education. The islands of the Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary are located between 11 and 65
miles (18-105 kilometers) off the Santa Barbara coast. They
encompasses 1,252 square nautical miles of ocean habitat
surrounding the four northern Channel Islands The Sanctuary
boundaries extend from mean high tide to six nautical miles
offshore from each of the islands. Santa Barbara is part of
the southern Channel Islands, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa
Rosa, and San Miguel are part of the Northern Channel
Islands. Because of the orientation of the northern and
southern islands, and the different current influences that
flow through the Southern California bight, ecologically
distinct biogeographic zones formed creating the diverse
array of habitats found in the sanctuary.
The distribution of plants and animals
in the Sanctuary is strongly influenced by the unique
combination of warm and cold-water currents that surround
the islands. More than 1000 species of aquatic plants, fish,
invertebrates, marine mammals and marine birds are found
within the protected waters of the Channel Islands National
Marine Sanctuary and new species are continually being
discovered. The Sanctuary also provides full or part-time
homes for several threatened and endangered species
including blue, humpback and sei whales, southern sea
otters, the California brown pelican and the California
least tern.
The Sanctuary also supports valuable
commercial industries such as fishing, diving, boating and
tourism. In 1999, a community based Sanctuary Advisory
Council was created to advise and assist the Sanctuary
Manager on developing policies related to protecting the
resources within the boundaries of the Sanctuary. The
Sanctuary Advisory Council is represented by ten members
from local, state and federal government agencies and ten
community members representing tourism, recreation, fishing,
business, research, conservation, education and general
public interests.
The photo gallery contains images
which portray only a small portion of the living and
physical resources of the sanctuary. In addition, it
portrays some of the major uses of the sanctuary. For a
more detailed description of the marvels of Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary visit the
Channel Islands description on the Marine Sanctuaries
section of this
site.
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The
Collection
The
Living Sanctuary presents 18
photos depicting marine mammals, fish, birds, and
invertebrates. Among these images are sea lions, blue
sharks, dolphin, starfish, treefish, murrelets, jellyfish,
bryzoans, and giant kelp to name just a few.
Habitats
presents 16 photos depicting the various marine and
nearshore habitats making up the sanctuary. Included in this
section you will find satellite images of sea surface
temperatures, photos of each of the large islands, and
species which take advantage of the various physical
habitats found in the Channel Islands National Marine
Sanctuary.
People
and the Sanctuary presents 13
images depicting the many ways that human beings use the
sanctuary and its adjacent areas. You will see people
recreating, researching, working, and learning the important
lessons that the sanctuary has to offer.
The Sustainable
Seas Expeditions photos for
the May - June 1999 expedition to the Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary are not available.
The Kids
Gallery for the Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary has no entries at this
time.
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