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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.75in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.75in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Contact:<b
style=""> <span style=""> </span></b>Shauna
Bingham, 805-729-3275<span style=""> </span><b
style="">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.75in;"><b
style=""><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span
style=""> </span></span></b><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">John
Ewald, 301-713-3066<span style=""> </span><span
style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>September
9, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b
style=""><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NOAA
Reports Threats to Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">A
new NOAA report on the health
of California’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary indicates
that the
overall condition of the sanctuary’s marine life and habitats is fair
to good,
but identifies several <span style="">threats to
sanctuary resources, such as growing coastal populations</span>,
shipping, and
climate change.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">“The
potential impact of global
climate change on fragile sanctuary resources and habitats, and
increased
coastal growth, are issues of concern,” said Chris Mobley, sanctuary
superintendent. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Prepared
by the NOAA Office of
National Marine Sanctuaries, the Channel Islands National Marine
Sanctuary
Condition Report, reviewed by outside experts, indicates that water
quality is
generally good due to the sanctuary’s offshore location and distance
from major
urban population centers. However, over time, </span><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">habitat
quality and living resource
conditions have deteriorated due to human encroachment, as well as
changing
ocean conditions and disease. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">The
sanctuary’s maritime
archaeological resources, such as shipwrecks, also face risks from
looting,
natural degradation, and damage from fishing gear and anchors.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"><span
style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NOAA
formally began its stewardship of these
resources in 1980. The report <span style="color: black;">notes that
many
management and regulatory programs aimed at protecting and restoring
resources
are already in place and seek </span>to improve conditions in the
sanctuary. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">For
example, the sanctuary
contains a network of 13 marine zones composed of 11 “no-take” marine
reserves.
There are two marine conservation areas where some fishing is allowed.
These
zones were established in state waters in 2003 and extended to the
sanctuary’s
federal waters in 2007. Additionally, the sanctuary updated its
management plan
in January 2009, emphasizing ecosystem-based approaches to improving
water
quality, reducing vessel discharges, and focusing research on emerging
threats
to ocean ecosystem health.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Emerging
or poorly understood threats present
new challenges in assessing their impact on sanctuary resources. Global
climate
change is already impacting ocean chemistry, which is expected to
affect marine
biodiversity and biological productivity. Climate change is also
resulting in
increased seawater temperatures, changes in currents, and sea level
rise all of
which are showing signs of impacting fundamental changes in marine and
coastal
ecosystems. Rising population growth in adjacent cities and counties,
vessel
traffic, as well as air and water polluting activities outside the
sanctuary’s
boundaries, are also a concern.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NOAA
prepared the condition report based on
consultations from outside experts that occurred in 2007. <span
style="color: black;">The full report is available online at: <b
style=""><a href="http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition"><span
style="font-weight: normal;">http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition</span></a></b>.
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span
style=""> </span>Managed
by the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Channel Islands
National
Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1980 to protect marine resources
surrounding
San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands.
The
sanctuary spans approximately 1,470 square miles, extending from island
shorelines to six miles offshore, and encompasses a rich diversity of
marine
life, habitats and historical and cultural resources.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NOAA
understands
and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the
ocean
to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and
marine
resources. Visit <b><a href="http://www.noaa.gov"><span
style="font-weight: normal;">http://www.noaa.gov</span></a></b>. </span><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On
the Web:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary: <b style=""><a
href="http://channelislands.noaa.gov"><span
style="font-weight: normal;">http://channelislands.noaa.gov</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">NOAA
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: <b style=""><a
href="http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov"><span style="font-weight: normal;">http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov</span></a></b>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">- 30 -<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Shauna Bingham
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
3600 S. Harbor Blvd. #111
Oxnard, CA 93035
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Shauna.Bingham@noaa.gov">Shauna.Bingham@noaa.gov</a>
(805) 382-6149 ext. 102
Fax (805) 382-9791
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://channelislands.noaa.gov">http://channelislands.noaa.gov</a>
´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..
</pre>
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