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Fall 2010

National Marine SanctuariesNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Featured:PROTECTING Our Ocean & Coasts

Honoring Jacques Cousteau

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DIRECTORSLETTER

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Sanctuary Expeditions

Oil Spill Response

Nancy Foster Scholars

Capitol Hill Ocean Week

BLUE Ocean Film Festival

IN EVERY ISSUE

1 NeWS SpLaSh 7 Star Of the Sea 9 crItter fILeS 12 SaNctuary VOIceS13 SaNctuary SNapShOt 14 SaNctuary SySteM

Protecting Our

Ocean & Coasts

In This Issue

What would Jacques Cousteau say?

If the legendary explorer, innovator, lmmaker, author and environmentalist were alivetoday, what would he think of our treatment of the ocean? In the 13 years since CaptainCousteau passed away, we have seen coral reefs decline worldwide, trash accumulatein the sea, and one of the largest oil spills in history in the Gulf of Mexico.

I think the Captain would be angered and saddened by the state of his beloved under -water world. But his vision and determination to defend it reminds us of our responsibility:to continue to ght passionately to ensure the future of our fragile coastal and oceanplaces, using all means at our disposal. We have a large challenge ahead of us to conveythat a healthy ocean is really important to a healthy economy, nation, and world.

With that charge in mind, on June 25, 2010 100 years after Captain Cousteaus birth

the Of ce of National Marine Sanctuaries celebrated Cousteau Day to honor the life andlegacy of the man who inspired a generation of ocean leaders, scientists and conserva-tionists. Staff at every site in the National Marine Sanctuary System donned Cousteaussignature red watch cap and paid tribute to him in their own way; some organized beachclean-up activities, while others hosted public events or screenings of his classic lms.It showed everyone how the Captains spirit is still alive and how he continues to stir our imagination, push our limits, and encourage our dreams.

The impact of our Cousteau celebrations reverberated beyond our sites. It was felt atCapitol Hill Ocean Week 2010, where scientists and conservation advocates, legislatorsand energy industry representatives met in Washington, D.C., to discuss the challengesand opportunities we all face in working toward a healthy ocean and a clean energyfuture. It was felt at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival in Monterey, California, which broughttogether thousands of people from around the world to watch inspiring ocean lms andgenerate renewed enthusiasm for ocean conservation.

We are committed to celebrating Cousteau Day annually and carrying his spirit dailyto remind ourselves and others of the enduring relevance of his work and teachings.Through the efforts described in this magazine, including oil spill response, scienti cexpeditions, the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program and many others, we strive toprotect our underwater treasures and to honor Cousteaus legacy. And through specialplaces, like our national marine sanctuaries, we can inspire everyone everywhere to fol-low the Captains lead I think he would be proud.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Basta, Director Of ce of National Marine Sanctuaries

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1Fall 2010 Sanctuary Watch

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2 Sanctuary Watch Fall 2010

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Scientists Dive into Researchacross the Sanctuary System

P rotecting our nations special underwater places is an important partof the mission of NOAAs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.But the locations covered by the National Marine Sanctuary Systemvary widely, ranging from the shallow coral reefs of the Florida Keys toWashingtons rugged Olympic Coast. Each of these unique places containsdifferent habitats and marine life, and each faces a different set of chal-lenges. Understanding these resources and threats is critical to the protec-tion of our fragile ocean environment. Thats why sanctuary staff and part-ners conduct expeditions like the ones listed below: to explore, documentand monitor the diverse ecosystems of the sanctuary system, providing asound scientific basis for effective ocean management decisions.

ExpeditionsNational Marine Sanctuaries

Papah naumoku kea Exploration

On May 10, 2010, a team of 15 scien-tists departed Pearl Harbor in Hono-lulu, Hawaii, for a 25-day research ex-pedition to the Papahnaumokukea

Marine National Monument. The mul-tidisciplinary expedition team mappedunderwater shipwrecks, studied themovements of sharks and conductedand inventory of non-native species.This expedition to the remote North-western Hawaiian Islands will yieldnew information that will help to bet-ter understand and manage this spe-cial place.

Exploring Deep Sea Coral:West Coast

In July 2010, three teams of re-searchers explored deep-sea coralhabitats from Washingtons OlympicCoast National Marine Sanctuary to

the deep-water regions of Californiabetween Cordell Bank, Gulf of theFarallones, and Channel Islands na-tional marine sanctuaries. They locat-ed and studied deep-sea corals andsponges using underwater remotelyoperated vehicles and a mannedsubmersible, helping build a stronger understanding of the importance of these remote habitats.

Thunder BaMontana Live Dive

Thanks to a grant from NOAAs Pre-serve America Initiative, sanctuaryarcheologists invited the public alongas they explored the shipwreck of

the Montana, a wooden freighter thatburned and sank in Thunder Bay inthe late 1800s. Today, the Montana isone of more than 200 well-preservedhistorical sites in Lake Hurons Ship-wreck Alley, an area known for its ex-treme weather and dangerous shoals.Viewers were able to interact with div-ers 70 feet below the surface in realtime via e-mail.

Gra s Reef Expedition

Kicking off in May 2010, scientfrom NOAAs Grays Reef NatioMarine Sanctuary set out to cover diverse range of research, includin

tagging and tracking reef sh, maping underwater habitats, and studying invertebrate communities. The rsearch team, which consisted of morthan 20 scientists, staff and volunteerfrom universities and state and federagencies, also conducted monitorinof various important topics such amarine debris, carbon dioxide leveland sh predation behavior.

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East Carolina UniversitNearshore Expedition

With turbulent seas and dangerousshorelines, the North Carolina coastalong the Outer Banks has seenmore than its share of shipwrecks.

Researchers from NOAAs Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and EastCarolina Universitys Program inMaritime Studies spent summer 2010documenting and preserving someof these historical sites, including theUSS Huron, one of the nations lastships to combine steam and sail, andthe Corolla/George Brown, a wreckthought to date back to the 1600s.

Exploring Deep Sea Coral:East Coast

Grays Reef National Marine Sanc-tuary researchers had planned toexplore deep-sea coral habitats dur -ing their April 2010 expedition. Un-

fortunately, the Gulf Stream currentwas particularly strong at all of theresearch sites, preventing them fromlowering the ROV to the bottom. Theteam adjusted its plan, instead collect-ing samples at a site where deep cor -als are known to occur and conductingsplit-beam surveys, which will allowthem to document the distribution of living matter in the water column.

Battle of the Atlantic III

This June 2010 expedition was thethird part of a multi-year project todocument historically signi cant ship-wrecks lost off the East Coast in the

Battle of the Atlantic during WorldWar II. Using non-invasive methods,NOAA divers and partners surveyedand photographed sections of severalvessels, helping scientists determinethe structural integrity of the remainsand potential management options.The project is dedicated to preservingand educating people about these im-portant pieces of our maritime history.

Stellwagen BankMaritime Heritage Cruise

Stellwagen Bank National MariSanctuary researchers headed out in August 2010 on two missions to eplore underwater historical resource

On the rst mission, scientists usesonar to map more than 100 squarkilometers of the sanctuary sea ooand located a dozen potential shipwreck sites. Later in the month, stapartnered with the University of Conecticut to investigate what may bthe sanctuarys oldest known shipwrecks using an ROV equipped wihigh-de nition video cameras.

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A Team Effort

ERMA has played a major role in the spill response efforts, Reyer said, allowing leadership to see everything from the location of the oilto wildlife sightings to ocean current predictions, all on a single mapcreated using up-to-the-minute data.

It would be much more difficult to make informed decisions withoutERMA, he said. Everyone from private citizens to the president canlook at the ERMA website and see whats going on in the Gulf right now.

Reyer said he worked 15-hour days on average, with the longest shiftstretching to 17.5 hours, but there was little time to stop and think aboutanything beyond the task at hand.

It was stressful at times when youve got a deadline looming, butthe long days went by fast, he said. You really feel like youre doingsomething meaningful.

Elsewhere around the country, sanctuary personnel pitched in to support the oil spill response however they could. The staff of Florida Keysand Flower Garden Banks national marine sanctuaries in the Gulf of Mexico worked quickly to gather environmental data in case oil dam-aged resources in either sanctuary, but fortunately, neither site has yetshown evidence of impacts from the spill.

Lisa Symons, who coordinated the spill response efforts for the Of-fice of National Marine Sanctuaries, said sanctuary communicationsstaff also fielded calls and responded to requests from reporters, while

others assisted with shoreline cleanup and damage assessment.One of strongest things the national marine sanctuaries bring to the ta-

ble is experience dealing with complex science and resource managementissues, and translating them for leadership and the public, Symons said.

With oil no longer flowing into the Gulf, Symons said the focus of the spill command is shifting from emergency response to evaluation of the spills impacts and restoration of damaged areas. Sanctuary staff inthe Gulf of Mexico will continue to be engaged in these efforts in themonths to come, supporting NOAAs mission to protect our ocean andcoasts through ongoing damage assessment and monitoring.

W hen Steve Gittingsfirst stepped intothe Incident Com-mand Post in Houma, La., onJune 21, the whirlwind of activ-ity was almost overwhelming.All around him, people dartedthrough a maze of desks and hud-dled around computer screens andwhiteboards. The massive space

buzzed with ringing phones andthe drone of hundreds of simulta-neous conversations.

I felt like a squirrel in traffic,he said. I thought, what do I do next? Who do I talk to?

He wasnt alone. Gittings, the national science coordinator for the Of-fice of National Marine Sanctuaries, is one of the many NOAA person-nel who traveled to the Gulf Coast to help out with the oil spill responsefollowing the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April. He and more than50 colleagues from the National Marine Sanctuary System have providedwide-ranging support for NOAAs role as the lead scientific agency for theresponse effort, both in Houma and at other locations around the country.

The initial shock of plunging into the busy hub of the oil spill responsecommand wore off quickly for Gittings. He linked up with the teamresponsible for advising the scientific support coordinator NOAAslead representative at the Incident Command Post and over the courseof three two-week rotations he worked 12- to 16-hour shifts studying thespills impacts on marine life, flying over the Gulf Coast on helicopter surveys, analyzing data and briefing leadership on the latest reports.

Some days, Gittings would leave Houma in the afternoon and driveup to four hours through the blazing Louisiana heat and humidity to rep-resent NOAA at community open house events. Held in civic centersand high school gymnasiums in towns throughout the region, the eventsinvited local residents to ask questions and discuss their concerns aboutthe spill with experts working directly on the response effort. Gittingsand his colleagues spent hours at these open houses talking to worried

citizens, fishermen, business owners and countless others, taking time tolisten to their fears and to answer their questions on an individual basis.

I think it made a huge difference for them to have someone to talk to,instead of hearing rumors and speculation on the news, Gittings said.

Tony Reyer, another sanctuary staffer deployed to Houma, broughthis knowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) to the com-mand center. Reyer helped operate the Environmental Response Man-agement Application, or ERMA, an online mapping tool that has madeit possible to organize massive amounts of information collected bythousands of oil spill response workers into one central system.

Sanctuary Staff Lend a Hand in the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response


National marine sanctuary staff assisted with NOAAs response efforts in a variety of ways following the BP DeepwaterHorizon oil spill, providing scienti c knowledge, communications support, technical expertise and more.

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A sk any child who loves the ocean, aquariums, and FindingNemo, and chances are marine biologist will be high on hisor her list of what I want to be when I grow up. The future

of our ocean depends on young people with this kind of pas-sion for the underwater world a new generation of marine scientiststo study the sea and remind us about the importance of protecting it.

To encourage more students to pursue their dreams of studying oceanscience, NOAA created the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, whichawards more than $600,000 every year in tuition support and fundingfor graduate students to conduct research projects in NOAAs nationalmarine sanctuaries. Dedicated to the late Dr. Foster, a marine scientistand former assistant administrator of the National Ocean Service, theprogram promotes diversity and recognizes outstanding scholarship inoceanography, marine biology and maritime archaeology.

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Meet the 2010 Foster Scholars

Ongoing Foster scholar re-search projects, which run upto four years, include diverse

topics like deep-sea coralecology, marine conservationpolicy, coastal pollution, and

toxins in sea turtles.

For moreinFormation, visit

http://fosterscholars.noaa.gov

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STAR oftheSEA

c a guar P l H lp san uar s p Up en r m nLTJG Ian Groom | Aviator, U.S. Coast Guard

California, where pilots like Groom y maritime enforcement missions with Npersonnel over national marine sanctuaries and other signi cant ocean places often as twice a month. I think its a great partnership, Groom said. One ocomponents of both [agencies] missions is to enforce maritime law and promarine resources.

Air Station San Francisco is located near three marine sanctuaries Moterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank but it isnt the onlyworking with NOAA to patrol Californias waters for lawbreakers. The mewomen of Coast Guard Air Stations in Sacramento, L.A./Long Beach, Astand Port Angeles have been instrumental in providing regular aerial coverage

sanctuaries and other marine areas up and down thWest Coast using helicopters and C-130 aircraft.

Aircraft are emerging as the most ef cient acost-effective way to patrol large marine areas, clect visitor and vessel use data, provide presence, anenforce speci c zones. Sanctuary staff have also pr

vided the crews with patrol guides for each sanctuary with maps, regulations, points of contacts to aid in the enforcement of sanctuary regulations.

Groom, married with a young daughter, said the opportunity to cooperate wNOAA staff to protect our ocean and coasts is a rewarding one with the adbonus of ying over Californias breathtaking coastline.

The days you have good sun and you get to help people, its absolutely ggeous, he said. I love my job.

Sweeping low over the rugged cen-tral California coastline, Lieutenant (ju-nior grade) Ian Groom of the U.S. Coast

Guard surveys the Paci c Ocean from the cockpit of his bright orange-and-whiteMH-65C Dolphin helicopter.

Behind him, observers from NOAAs Of ce of National Marine Sanctuaries peer out the windows of the aircraft through high-powered binoculars. One of the observ-ers shouts a few words over the noise of the helicopters four whirling rotor blades,and Groom banks sharply toward the distant shape of a vessel on the horizon.

This isnt a typical Coast Guard search-and-rescue operation. Grooms helicop-ter is on patrol. His civilian passengers are on a mis-sion to nd and document boaters, shermen andother ocean users who intentionally or otherwise violate the regulations that protect marine life andhabitats in the regions state and federal waters.

Groom, who grew up in northwestern Illinois, joined the Army out of high school. He attended ight school in 2001, and spent sev-eral years piloting helicopters for the Army before joining the Coast Guard in 2008.

Flying is what I wanted to do from the beginning, for as long as I can re-member, Groom said. Today, he is one of 22 aviators based at Air Station SanFrancisco who conduct search-and-rescue, training and enforcement operationsin the air stations four Dolphin helicopters.

The Coast Guard and NOAA have forged a strong partnership here in central

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Flying is what I wanted todo from the beginning, for

as long as I can remember.

U.S. Coast Guard aviators ying aircraft like thisMH-65C Dolphin helicopter provide valuable sup-port for enforcement of sanctuary regulations.

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In June, with a backdrop of concernand uncertainty surrounding the oilspill unfolding in the Gulf of Mex-ico, the 10th Annual Capitol HillOcean Week symposium provided

a forum for timely, relevant conversationscentered on the theme of Clean Energy anda Healthy Ocean.

Presented by the National Marine Sanc-tuary Foundation, the symposiums diverse

panels explored how ocean energy choicescan help create a secure future for coastalcommunities and the marine resources theydepend on. Attendees included environmen-tal legislators, non-profits, academics andexperts in environmental and marine science.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuar-ies kicked off the week with Sanctuaries2025: The Promise of Americas Underwater Treasures, a briefing that set out to define acommon vision for our oceans future, and tospark discussion on the role of sanctuaries inrealizing that vision over the next 15 years.

The briefing featured a range of nationalmarine sanctuary constituents includingJerry Schubel, president of the Aquarium of

Honoring Ocean LEADERS

At the annual Leadership Awards Dinner hosted bythe National Marine Sanc-

tuary Foundation, prominent dignitaries andocean advocates honored Rep. Lois Capps andRep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their strong leader -ship on ocean issues. The foundation also pre-sented Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Di-rector Julie Packard with a lifetime achievementaward for her dedication to ocean education.

Steve Kroll, a Michigan dive charter operatoand longtime volunteer with Thunder Bay Na-tional Marine Sanctuary, was also announcedas the 2010 Volunteer of the Year for the Nation-al Marine Sanctuary System for his outstandingwork educating the public about the shipwrecks

of the Great Lakes and the importance of con-serving these sunken pieces of history.

the Pacific; conservationist and author CarlSafina; marine biologist Dan Laffoley; andEric Kett, a sportfishing charter boat captainand Channel Islands National Marine Sanc-tuary Advisory Council member. Setting thetone for the rest of the week, the overarchingtheme of the session centered on change, col-laboration and progress in our efforts to saveour ailing ocean ecosystems.

Highlights of Capitol Hill Ocean Week included panels on the current state of en-ergy in the U.S., advances in offshore energytechnology, impacts on coastal and oceanresources, and the changing landscape of renewable energy production. Members of Congress, industry representatives, scientific

experts and conservationists all contributedto the weeks frank and productive discus-sions of energy use and sustainable solutions.

Our ocean faces great threats, but theOffice of National Marine Sanctuaries iscommitted to working with diverse part-ners through venues like Capitol Hill OceanWeek to find solutions that help strengthenour energy future and protect the preciousresources of our underwater ecosystems.

Clean Energy, Clean SeasOcean Leaders Gather in Washington

for Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2010

Speakers including scientists, legislatorsand industry leaders discussed ocean

energy at Capitol Hill Ocean Week.

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CRITTERFILES: Manta Ray

Soaring gracefully beneath the surfaceon massive wings, few creatures inthe sea appear as free and as effortlessas the manta ray. These elegant andmysterious creatures can be found in

warm ocean waters around the world, and yet weknow incredibly little about them.

Like all sharks and rays, mantas are sh withskeletons of exible cartilage, rather than hard bone.But unlike many of their close cousins in the ray fam-ily, such as stingrays, mantas dont hang out on thesea oor. Theyre much more at home gliding throughthe water column, where they scoop up seawater and lter out tiny animals called zooplankton.

Mantas can live for more than 20 years, and growto a wingspan of more than 20 feet from n tip to ntip. These docile creatures are generally easy-goingand content to mingle with scuba divers, althoughthey have been known to perform acrobatic leaps

on occasion, propelling themselves entirely out of the water!

In the Gulf of Mexico, manta rays are regular visi-tors to the rich ecosystems of Flower Garden BanksNational Marine Sanctuary, where coral reefs sit atopunderwater mountains. Researchers at the sanctu-ary are working to tag and track the mantas that fre-quent the area, which is helping us learn more abouthow these remarkable creatures spend their lives.

Common name: ...................................Manta RaySCientifiC name: ........................... Manta birostrisDiStribution: ............ Tropical and temperate seas

worldwide (see map abovemax. Length: ............................................. 22 feetmax. Weight: ......................................... 5,000 lbsDiet: ................................................. ZooplanktonStatuS: ........................................Near threatened

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Lights, Camera,

Featuring more than 120 eye-opening ocean filmsand fascinating discussions with ocean conserva-tion icons like Jean-Michel Cousteau and Dr. SylviaEarle, the 2010 BLUE Ocean Film Festival burstonto the scene this summer in Monterey, Calif.

Bright California sunshine and the picturesquecoastline of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary providedthe backdrop for BLUEs first-ever festival in California, held Aug.24-29 at Montereys Portola Hotel. Event organizers screened 128films ranging from shorts like The Krill Is Gone to full-lengthfeatures such as Disneynature Oceans at five theaters through-out the Monterey area, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium,Golden State Theater and Cannery Row IMAX Theater.

The movies werent the only draw at BLUE, however theevent also boasted a fully-fledged conservation summit andfilmmaking industry conference, which drew crowds of scien-tists, conservationists, filmmakers, photographers and ocean en-

thusiasts from around the world. BLUE Executive Director Deb- bie Kinder estimated that nearly 9,000 people showed up for thefestivals diverse films, panel discussions, ocean-themed activi-ties and gala events. Were really pleased with the turnout, shesaid. I think its a little more than double what we saw last year.

Kinder, who founded the BLUE Ocean Film Festival withher husband Charlie in Savannah, Ga., in 2009, said moving theevent from its original location in Georgia to California was chal-lenging, but the new venue exceeded even her high expectations.

Overall, in every aspect it was a fabulous transition, Kinder


oceansaid. It was a bit of a challenge, but we had a great supportgroup here everyone was fantastic about making us feel wel-come and supporting us.

Kinder explained the decision to move the festival across thecountry, calling Monterey an ocean epicenter with a strongconnection between the local community and the sea, in additionto its high concentration of ocean-focused organizations like theMonterey Bay Aquarium. She said she believes Montereys Cen-tral California location also makes it ideal for drawing peoplefrom outside the local area.

Highlights from the festival included a remarkable 14-hour swim across Monterey Bay by marathon swimmer Bruckner Chase (see sidebar), a gallery of stunning photography by Na-tional Geographic photographer David Doubilet, panel discus-sions with industry experts on cutting-edge technologies like 3Dfilmmaking, and a touching tribute by ocean advocate Jean-Mi-chel Cousteau to his father, Jacques Cousteau, one of the great

heroes of ocean conservation.I was very, very pleased and gratified about how the event

turned out, Kinder said. It was all about bringing people to-gether to energize one another, and I think everyone genuinelycame away empowered and inspired and more knowledgeable.

Wrapping up the festival was the BLUE Carpet Awards Cer-emony, a Hollywood-style awards show where the film BagIt took home the Best of Festival honor. Bag It, a humoroustake on one mans struggle against the ever-present plastic in our lives, was selected for both the quality of the film and the power

BLUe o F l F l Makes a Splash in Monterey

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of its message. Other notable winners included the documentary Inthe Wake of Giants, which followed a team working to free whalesfrom marine debris in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale NationalMarine Sanctuary, and Willem and the Whales, a short film featur-ing a precocious young boy arguing for the end of whaling.

There were so many moments, Kinder said, when asked abouther favorite part of the festival. Willem and the Whales was onethat really touched me. Hearing that raw honesty from a child thattouched my heart.

Events like the BLUE Ocean Film Festival play an important rolein the ocean conservation efforts of the National Marine SanctuarySystem, which contributed staff and financial support to the festi-val. Dan Basta, director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries,said the event showcased the power of film in educating people aboutthe importance of protecting our ocean ecosystems.

I think film really speaks to people in a way that is immediateand powerful, and it lets you expose them to places and experiences

that they might never see otherwise, Basta said. Its one of the most powerful tools we have to reach people and help make the connection between them and our special ocean places.

While Kinder said she plans to hold a smaller BLUE event inMonterey next year, the full film festival will take place every twoyears going forward. In the meantime, the winning films from BLUE2010 will tour the world, with screenings scheduled at several U.S.locations and as many as five around Australia.

The potential is huge, Kinder said. We could reach millions of people with these wonderful films and conservation information.

S in o o s n is 4:30 .m. on a . 24, m onswimm b kn c s ki k d o

2010 bLue O n film f s iv lwi o o s 28-mil swim o Mon b N ion-

l M in S n om S n c z o Mon , vin stings of thousands of jelly sh along the way. Nearly 14 hoursafter he set out, Chase paddled the nal mile into San Carlosb , w w s d tV m s nd on o

in s o s. b k on d l nd, ll d swim d s in Iv v don , s id i w s wo i o d w

attention to the ocean and the BLUE lm festival. Chase planso m swims o si s o o N ion

M in S n S s m.

SWIMMER COMPLETESEPIC 14-HOUR BAyCROSSING


The 2010 BLUE Ocean Film Festival in Monterey, California,combined more than 120 fascinating ocean lms with a marine

conservation summit and lmmaking industry conference, drawingthousands of attendees from all over the world.

It was all about bringing people together to energize one another ...everyone genuinely came away empowered and inspired.

Debbie Kinder

p o os: am S w , t oni p od

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cARL sAfiNAPr n , Blu o an in u

The state of our ocean de-mands we change course andbegin to manage our activitiesso the ocean realm can con-tinue to sustain us.

Most Americans knowthe already-degraded Gulf of Mexicos waters and wetlands

are now affected by oil and other toxins. The Gulfs problems will affect people for generations. Our children will, throughout their entire lives, know a Gulf strugglingto recover. We need to heal the Gulf, true enough. We also need to heal the restof the ocean.

Growing up in Brooklyn, I was drawn to the coastline from an early age. Mineis a life spent on and in the ocean that sustains us all. I remember going out withmy dad on the boats of Sheepshead Bay, catching snappers or nighttime crab-bing, or surfcasting at dawn. So the ocean is the heart of my work, and you mightsay Ive got saltwater in my veins.

I have ventured into any and all ways of communicating the science and issuesrelating the ocean to the world. Through books, lms, blogs, speeches and even hand-to-hand outreach and fact-driven combat, I will try any and all tools to get the messageout about the need to increase the conservation of the ocean, to protect the wildlifeand resources Ive grown up enjoying. I travel extensively to help highlight and ex-

plain how the ocean is changing and what that means for wildlife and for people. Nmore than ever, we are aware of the oceans problems. And that means we must appsolutions that are likely to help us to recover the seas living abundance.

Covering two-thirds of the globe, the ocean is vast. When we talk about ocgovernance and conservation, it is dif cult getting our minds wrapped around thconcepts across a scale that immense. But if we cant grasp and explain whats neeed, how can we expect the rest of Americans to understand?

To bring conservation to a scale we all can comprehend, we need to focus on dcreet areas of our ocean that represent larger ecosystems and important geographiesand conserve and protect these areas.

The National Marine Sanctuary System does just this. In many ways its the munderutilized and promising federal program to manage areas of the ocean for sutained conservation. Today sanctuaries account for less than 1 percent of the U.waters. We need to learn from the disasters of this time and protect against repeatiour failures. We need to set more areas aside for focused conservation as a next step

Marine sanctuaries have the promise of enlarging our vistas, teaching our historestoring our souls and conserving discrete areas of the enormity of the ocean. Easanctuary must be a living research laboratory, where we probe the secrets of thuniverse and learn how the oceans might play a larger role in supporting human li

In this generation, let us release our best new idea and increase protectionagainst future degradation and overuse. Let us nd new areas for conservation anset them aside for the generations that follow.

Sanctuary Voices is a guest column featuring views and opinions from the national marine sanctuary community.

Carl Sa na is a prominent marine scientist,conservationist and award-winning author.

SANCTUARYVOICES

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SANCTUARYSNAPSHOT This photo of two humpback whales, one tangled in discarded line, was taken from a small in atable s s n s m o n n l d w l in h w ii n Isl nds h m k W l N ion l M in S n . D in s

like this one were featured in the lm In the Wake of Giants, winner of the Best Sanctuary Film award at the 2010 BLUE Ocean Film Festival.

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The Of ce of NationalM in S n i sis o NOaas

N ion l O n S vi .

SaNctuary SYSTEM

1305 e s -W s hi wSilv S in MD 20910301-713-3125

://s n i s.no . ov

T he Of ce of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a system of 14 special ocean areas, encompassing moren 150,000 sq mil s o o n nd g L k s w s. t s s m in l d s 13 n ion l m in s n i s nd Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument. The sanctuary system is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad -minis ion (NOaa), w i m n s s n i s wo kin oo iv l wi li o o s n i s w il m in inin

om i l ion l nd omm i l ivi i s. S n s wo k o n n li w n ss o o n ions m in soand maritime heritage through scienti c research, monitoring, exploration, educational programs and outreach.

How to Subscribeto s s i o Sanctuary Watch l oni ll , l ss nd n -m il o r qu @w llam .n .n aa. v

nd ollowin in -m il s j lin : ub r ban uarywa h

Vision - p o l v lm in s n i s s s d

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n ions.

Mission - to s v s s o n ions s s m o

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s v , o nd n n iiodiv si , olo i l in ind l l l .

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