• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Keeping Watch for Clean Water

  • About
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Our Team
    • Our Boat
    • Our History
    • Our Impact
    • About the Santa Barbara Channel
    • About Local Watersheds
    • Strategic Framework
    • Financial Information
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Our Work
    • Education
      • Student Art Show
    • Community Engagement
      • Cruise Ship Advocacy
      • Report Pollution
      • Volunteer
      • Water Conservation
      • Oil Spill Resource Guide
      • Film Plastic Recyling
      • Action Alerts
    • Field Work
      • Beach Water Quality
      • Stream Team
        • Water Quality Indicators
        • Stream Team Data Portal
        • Leydecker Archives
      • MPA Watch
      • Cruise Ship Monitoring
      • Ocean Acidification
    • Advocacy
      • Aquaculture Advocacy
      • Polluted Runoff
      • Agriculture
      • Oil & Gas
        • Protecting the Coast from Sable Offshore’s Pipeline Restart
        • Refugio Oil Spill
        • Oil Spill Resource Guide
        • Platform Decommissioning
        • Legacy Oil Wells
        • Offshore Fracking
      • Ventura River
      • Plastic
        • Film Plastic Recyling
      • Marine Protected Areas
        • MPA Watch
      • Water Supply
        • Desalination
        • Conservation
    • Enforcement
      • Ventura River
      • Offshore Fracking
      • Agriculture
      • Sewage
      • Ojai Quarry
      • Halaco
  • Media
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
    • Newsletter Archive
    • eNews Archive
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
  • Take Action
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Volunteer
      • Watershed Brigade
      • MPA Watch
    • Report Pollution
    • Action Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNews
    • Shop
      • Buy Channelkeeper Gear
      • Shop & Support Channelkeeper
  • Donate

Marine Conservation

A Victory for Our Oceans: Federal Court Rules Against Industrial Fish Farming Permits

November 7, 2024 by Nate Irwin

On September 30, 2024, in a major victory for ocean advocates and coastal communities, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated several key environmental laws when it issued Nationwide Permit 56 (NWP 56) in January of 2021. The court found that the Corps violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act by failing to properly assess the impacts of industrial fish farms on marine life, water quality, and habitat. 

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper was proud to be one of the plaintiffs in this case, joining forces in 2023 with the Quinault Indian Nation, and nonprofits such as LA Waterkeeper, San Diego Coastkeeper, Don’t Cage Our Oceans Coalition, fishing organizations, and others. Together, we challenged the threat posed by unregulated offshore aquaculture in our shared ocean waters—and the courts ruled in our favor. 

“This is a vital victory for the future of our oceans,” said George Kimbrell, legal director for the Center for Food Safety and council for the plaintiffs. “The Court’s decision makes clear that federal regulators cannot ignore the significant risks posed by industrial aquaculture and must rigorously analyze them before moving forward.” 

Background and Significance 

NWP 56 permitted large-scale fish farming structures in federal waters off the coasts of Alaska, California, Washington, Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Virginia. These industrial aquaculture operations, which involve placing net pens and cages in open ocean waters, have been criticized for threatening marine ecosystems, traditional fishing economies, and Tribal Nations’ food security. Despite the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ own acknowledgment of the adverse impacts on wildlife and water quality, the agency unlawfully failed to adequately assess these risks when approving the permit. 

In its ruling, the court specifically called out the Corps’ failure to connect the “multiple acknowledged adverse impacts” with its conclusion that these impacts would be minimal. The court held that this lack of a “logical bridge” between the risks and the agency’s decision rendered the permit unlawful. 

Impacts of Open-Ocean Finfish Aquaculture 

Open-ocean finfish aquaculture has been linked to a range of environmental issues, including water pollution, disease transmission, genetic contamination, and habitat degradation. They can also create navigational hazards. Net pens used in aquaculture can severely disrupt delicate ecosystems. These structures can smother benthic habitats and threaten biodiversity. For example, fish farms in the Baltic Sea have degraded local environments, with waste and uneaten feed accumulating on the seafloor, leading to oxygen depletion and loss of species (Hedberg et al., 2018). Around these farms, nutrient levels can spike by up to 500%, contributing to harmful algal blooms and the formation of dead zones (Skarbøvik et al., 2022). 

Escaped farmed fish also pose a serious threat to wild populations. In Norway, genetic diversity in wild salmon populations has been reduced by 20% due to interbreeding with escaped farmed fish (Glover et al., 2019). These environmental risks underscore the critical need for strong safeguards to prevent the unchecked expansion of open-ocean finfish aquaculture and ensure the protection of the marine environment. 

The legal ruling on NWP 56 marks a significant victory in the effort to protect marine ecosystems, helping to safeguard sensitive habitats from the many negative impacts associated with large-scale aquaculture operations. The court will next decide on a remedy for the unlawful permit. 

Looking Ahead in the Santa Barbara Channel 

Federal agencies, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are pushing for the expansion of aquaculture, including a proposal to establish an “Aquaculture Opportunity Area” in the Santa Barbara Channel. While certain forms of aquaculture such as shellfish and seaweed farming may offer environmental benefits, finfish farming poses serious risks. These operations can impair water quality, spread diseases, lead to the escape of farmed fish into natural ecosystems, and significantly reduce important smaller fish populations used as feed. 

Channelkeeper has been closely monitoring these developments, advocating for thorough environmental assessments before any aquaculture projects are approved. Channelkeeper is calling for a robust regulatory framework that includes continuous monitoring and strong protections for the marine environment, ensuring that projects do not harm water quality, marine life, or local fishing communities. 

Opportunities for the public to provide comments are likely to occur soon. We will keep you posted. 

References: 

Glover, K. A., Pertoldi, C., Besnier, F., Wennevik, V., Kent, M., & Skaala, Ø. (2019). Atlantic salmon populations invaded by farmed escapees: Quantifying genetic introgression and consequences for local adaptation. Evolutionary Applications, 12(5), 919-930. 

Hedberg, N., Kautsky, N., Kumblad, L., Wikström, S. A., & Elwing, H. (2018). Environmental risks associated with offshore fish farming: A Baltic Sea case study. Ambio, 47(3), 387 -396. 

Skarbøvik, E., Sample, J. E., & Skogen, M. D. (2022). Impacts of nutrient pollution from aquaculture on coastal water quality. Environmental Science & Technology, 56(4), 2047        -2055. 

Filed Under: Marine Conservation, News, Uncategorized Tagged With: aquaculture

Planting the Seeds of Environmental Stewardship Through Art 

April 23, 2024 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

An interview with this year’s Student Art Show Juror, Kelly Clause 

Every spring for the past twenty-one years, Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show has celebrated the connection between young people and the ocean. High school students from Carpinteria to Goleta are invited to create their interpretations of what the Santa Barbara Channel means to them. The artwork they produce is expressive, personal, and powerful.  

Inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders is one of the show’s fundamental goals. This year, we’re thrilled to welcome artist Kelly Clause, who participated in Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show in 2005, as a high school student, as the show’s juror.  

Kelly’s artwork is influenced by the ocean and its inhabitants, as well as the unique beauty of the California coast. She believes that connecting young people to the ocean through experiences like the Student Art Show helps plant the seeds of environmental stewardship—a connection with nature that can be nourished over time and can inspire a life-long sense of environmental responsibility and care. 

In the interview that follows, Kelly shares her profound, personal connection to the ocean as well as her experience as a young participant in Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show and the positive impact that it had on her as an artist. 

Channelkeeper (SBCK): As an artist, what draws you to paint the ocean and its creatures?  

Kelly Clause (KC): The ocean and its creatures are the object of my never-ending curiosity, awe, and respect. The ocean is full of life, full of mystery, and will humble even the most confident of human beings. It feels so natural for me to paint the ocean because I was raised near it, in it, and with this constant hunger to understand it more. I love to surf, dive, paddle, and generally just spend time near the water. I feel really lucky to have been raised here in Santa Barbara and want to do my best to protect the unique beauty of our coast! I believe art has the potential to impact people to pause, appreciate, grow curious, and ultimately become better stewards of our environment. 

SBCK: What was your first experience with Channelkeeper’s Student Art Show?  

KC: I believe it was my sophomore or junior year of high school at Dos Pueblos High School, and my art teacher asked if she could enter me into a local art show that was all about the ocean. Naturally, I said yes, painted a big wave in acrylic, turned it in, and was completely shocked when they announced I had won an award for it. I really had no idea what Channelkeeper was at the time, but I vividly remember the kindness and enthusiasm in that room. 

SBCK: What was the Student Art Show experience like as a student?  

KC: It was fun! It was my first ever experience being a part of an art show, and Channelkeeper did such a great job at making us students feel important and honored for showing our work. It was a positive experience for me, and increased my confidence and helped me take chances and enter other art shows down the road.  

SBCK: Why do you think it’s important to highlight the artwork of young people?  

KC: Young people not only have artistic talent that should be celebrated and seen, but by investing in youth, we are investing in our future community and environment. Art can be a powerful voice to spark curiosity, prompt questions, increase emotional literacy, and promote beautiful causes. Encouraging young people to be vulnerable in expressing themselves through art as a means of communication is a worthy investment  

SBCK: As you know, the theme of the show each year is “What the Channel Means to Me.” If you were going to create one piece of art that evoked what the Channel means to you, what would you create?  

KC: It’s difficult to sum up what the Channel means to me in one piece of art, but I guess that’s the beauty of art. You don’t have to say it all! At this point in time, I would probably paint Giant kelp, because of its beauty and the unique ecosystem it creates in our Channel.  

SBCK: Do you have a favorite ocean creature to represent in your artwork? Why?  

KC: Humpbacks! To me, whales are completely majestic creatures. Their size alone is absolutely awe-inspiring and will make you feel humbled in a second if you are fortunate enough to get close to one. Their devotion to escorting their young thousands of miles home to safety, their acrobatic skills and playful nature, their singing, gentle but fierce demeanor…whales are incredible to me. My first watercolor was a whale, and it inspired the entire direction of my artistic journey. 

The community is invited to join us in celebrating the artists at a reception on Thursday, May 2nd from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm that will take place at the Jodi House Gallery at 625 Chapala Street in Santa Barbara.  Click here for more information. 

The show is sponsored by Trillium Enterprise, Inc. and the City of Goleta Grant Program.  

Filed Under: Education, Marine Conservation, Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, Education, marine biology, ocean, Student Art Show

Building Meaningful Careers: An Interview with MPA Watch Interns  

March 27, 2024 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, are underwater sanctuaries that provide safe havens for marine wildlife. Channelkeeper’s MPA Watch program trains and engages community volunteers to observe and record human uses of coastal and marine resources both inside and outside of marine protected areas (MPAs) along the Santa Barbara coast. Using standardized protocols volunteers and program interns collect relevant, scientifically rigorous, and broadly accessible data that are used to help inform MPA management and enforcement. Through Channelkeeper’s shore-based MPA Watch program, we’re able to collect data related to human use activities at the Campus Point, Naples, and Kashtayit MPAs along the Santa Barbara coastline. MPA Watch interns focus their work at these three MPAs along the Santa Barbara coastline. 
 
MPA Watch interns are key to the program’s success. This year, we are fortunate to have three UCSB undergraduate interns supporting this community science program, thanks in part to a grant award from the UCSB Associated Students Coastal Fund. MPA Watch interns conduct weekly surveys to ensure consistent coverage of all the coastal MPAs, perform data entry of volunteer surveys and data quality control checks, assist with volunteer training workshops, and lead volunteer field training sessions. 

Channelkeeper recently caught up with our three current MPA Watch Interns, Brynn Campos, Madi Trudeau, and Raven Berse to learn more about their experiences.  

Why did you choose to intern with Channelkeeper? 

Madi: I chose to intern with Channelkeeper because I wanted to find a way to engage with the local community and learn more about the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds.  

Brynn: I chose to intern with Channelkeeper because I was interested in ecology/marine biology internships with flexible scheduling. Not only did Channelkeeper work fit into my busy schedule, but it gave me the opportunity to spend more days at the beach and build up marketable skills in the field I am passionate about. 

Raven: I didn’t have many opportunities to really make a difference at my local community college. As a 3rd-year transfer to UCSB, I felt like I needed to hit the ground running and find as many opportunities as I could. I called Channelkeeper and went on a few surveys. I was so fascinated and amazed that I was able to participate in the MPAWatch program as an intern. I have worked with Channelkeeper for over a year now, and I love the team and the work that we do to keep our marine protected areas safe. 

What skills do you hope to gain from this experience? 

Madi: I’m gaining a ton of useful experience in fieldwork, data collection, and data entry. I’m continuing to learn a lot about what it means to collect good data, and how the importance of it can translate into other fields. I’ve found that I really enjoy being out in the field, so I’m glad that I get to continue working on these skills and honing in on potential careers I want to pursue. 

Raven: I have gained a lot of knowledge and confidence in survey-taking and data collection. After school, I want to do research work and this was my first hands-on experience.  

Brynn: Other than the obvious data collection/data entry experience, I am happy with the soft skills I have gained from this experience and how much I have been able to learn about local ecosystems. I have improved my ability to communicate scientific concepts to the public (especially children!) and gained more experience training others. In addition, taking regular walks along our beaches for the past year has allowed me to see the seasonal patterns of the ocean including the dynamism of the tides and the bluffs, the diversity of beautiful fauna (especially birds!), and more generally the interplay between weather and ocean conditions. It has been an invaluable experience getting to personally witness the dynamics of the ocean for my future in marine biology. 

If there were 25 hours in a day, how would you spend the extra hour? 

Brynn: If there were 25 hours in a day, I would spend the extra hour taking my cat Bella on a walk in her backpack.  

Raven: If there were 25 hours in a day, I would try to spend the extra hour doing art or being outside. 

Madi: As a student, it’s really easy to get caught up in work and I find myself spending all day in lecture halls and the library. Having an extra hour would give me the chance to prioritize my passions, like hiking, surfing, and generally just appreciating the outdoors.  

What has been the highlight of your intern experience? 

Raven: The biggest highlight of my intern experience has just been getting out of the house and seeing the beauty of the world outside. After COVID, I really stopped going outside as often. This opportunity pushes me to be outdoors, and it’s really enjoyable to spend a few hours outside near the beach while knowing you’re making a small difference while you’re there. I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities to see the tidepools, walk through the fields along the coast with the cows and horses, have hawks and butterflies fly right over me, and enjoy the beauty of the ocean. It has been a very wonderful and enjoyable experience.  

Brynn: The highlight of my intern experience has been getting to go to our beautiful Channel Islands for a beach cleanup. My trip with Channelkeeper was my first time on the Islands and it was such a beautiful and enriching day. Not only were we able to clean up over 1,000 pounds of trash, but I got to witness the real impact of marine pollution on what should be a pristine natural beauty. Having this experience will drive my future efforts to ensure that we live on a clean, green planet. 

Madi: The highlight of this experience was definitely Underwater Parks Day. It was such a fun outreach event that gave me the chance to connect with community members, other volunteers, and interns. I also got to learn a ton of new information about Santa Barbara’s intertidal zones, and it was fascinating to see all of the organisms they had in their care. It helped me to connect with a new community of people who love marine life as much as I do.    

Channelkeeper feels grateful beyond words to work with these three extraordinary women who, after graduation, plan to launch careers in areas such as aquatic ecology, ocean research, and marine biology. With great optimism, we look forward to learning about all that they will accomplish. 

Filed Under: Marine Conservation, Monitoring Tagged With: environment, Marine Conservation, marine protected area, MPAWatch, ocean

Protecting Biodiversity in the Santa Barbara Channel 

August 24, 2023 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Home to acres of giant kelp forests and a diverse array of marine species—from anemones and nudibranchs to sheephead and yellowtail, and sharks, sea lions, dolphins, and whales—the Santa Barbara Channel is considered an ecological treasure and one of the most biologically rich ecosystems on Earth.  

Its unparalleled species density and diversity can be attributed to the Channel’s location in the transition zone between the cool northern California Current and warm Southern California Countercurrent, where two distinct ecological systems merge. In addition, wind-driven upwellings, which force deep, nutrient-laden ocean waters to the surface nourish a productive food web that includes plankton, squid, hundreds of fish species and invertebrates, dolphins, sharks, birds, and whales. 

Why is biodiversity important? 

Biodiversity is essential for healthy ecosystems. It is a primary indicator of our planet’s health. All of the organisms within an ecosystem are interconnected, so when biodiversity declines and organisms disappear, it affects the entire ecosystem’s ability to function and survive. Humans, as part of this network, are reliant on the ecosystem’s health and biodiversity. Every breath we take depends on another life, another species. Healthy ecosystems provide us with clean water, air, a secure food supply, essential medicines, and they also help moderate the climate.  

Help us Protect Biodiversity 

Humans have caused rapid ecosystem changes and loss of biodiversity across the planet in recent decades. In the Santa Barbara Channel scientists have documented changes to fish and bird populations, shifts in ocean pH levels, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of harmful algae blooms that have indicated imbalances. 

Channelkeeper works to protect biodiversity in the Santa Barbara Channel by conducting important fieldwork, increasing public awareness, advocating for more protective policies, and enforcing environmental laws.  

Marine Protected Areas 

Out on the water, our team monitors human activity within nine of the nineteen marine protected areas in the Santa Barbara Channel and educates the public on their ecological, economic, and cultural value. These designated areas provide sanctuaries for species to grow and reproduce. We also mobilize a corps of volunteers to help track human activity in them through our MPA Watch program. 

Plankton Monitoring 
Channelkeeper staff collects plankton samples and sends them to the California State Health Department for analysis as part of our effort to monitor hazardous algal blooms in the Santa Barbara Channel.  

In addition, our team periodically assists with domoic acid response efforts and important research in the Santa Barbara Channel by collecting water samples and sending them to experts with the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. The data and observations that we collect during these sampling events will help provide a better understanding of the geographic extent of algae bloom events and how climate stressors may affect them.  

Policy Development 
Through ongoing advocacy efforts to address pollution, habitat destruction, and the impacts of climate change, and protect both water resources and public health, we work to improve environmental policies at the local, state, and national level. Some of the issues that we are working on are regulating pollution from irrigated agriculture, evaluating the impacts of aquaculture project development in the Santa Barbara Channel, addressing the environmental risks and limiting the number of cruise ships that anchor off Santa Barbara, and restoring flows to the Ventura River.  

We hope you’ll join us in taking action locally to protect the biodiversity in our backyard from threats from habitat destruction, pollution, and the effects of climate change. Become an MPA Watch volunteer and help track activity in these aquatic sanctuaries, join our Watershed Brigade to help remove trash from local waterways and reduce pollution, or support our work to protect and restore ecosystems throughout the Santa Barbara Channel with a donation. Let’s work together to ensure that they are healthy and vibrant for future generations. 

Filed Under: Marine Conservation Tagged With: biodiversity, clean water, ecosystem, environment, Marine Conservation, marine protected areas

May is American Wetlands Month 

May 18, 2023 by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

May is American Wetlands Month, and a perfect time to take a moment to appreciate these beautiful habitats and all that they offer to wildlife and communities. 

What are Wetlands? 

A wetland is land that is covered by water—salt, fresh, or brackish—either seasonally or permanently, that functions as its own ecosystem. Freshwater wetlands include bogs, swamps, and wet prairies. Saltwater wetlands include salt marshes and mangrove swamps.  

Why are Wetlands Important? 

Wetlands are one of the most productive and biodiverse habitats on our planet. They provide important shelter and breeding, nesting, feeding, and wintering habitat for a wide range of species. In fact, while wetlands cover only six percent of the Earth’s land surface, forty percent of all plant and animal species live or breed in them and more than one-third of the threatened and endangered species in the United States live exclusively in wetlands.  

Many fish and shellfish species such as flounder, sea trout, spot, croaker and striped bass and shrimp, oysters, clams, and blue and Dungeness crabs need coastal wetlands to survive. Many birds such as ducks, geese, woodpeckers, hawks, wading birds, and songbirds in addition to mammals such as black bears, raccoons, otters, and deer, rely on wetlands for food, water, and shelter. 

Wetlands absorb excess rain or river water, so they protect communities against flooding and sea level rise. Additionally, wetlands help remove excess nutrients, toxic substances, and sediment from water that flows through them. They are so effective at improving water quality they have been referred to as the “kidneys” of a watershed.  

How do wetlands fight climate change? 

Wetlands are one of the planet’s best carbon-storing tools. When natural debris such as leaves, animal waste, and other high-carbon matter settles from the water’s surface to the bottom, it’s buried by sediment, sequestering carbon. Research indicates that coastal salt marshes can sequester approximately 1,940 pounds of carbon per acre per year, helping keep greenhouse gases out of the environment. 

We need to Conserve and Restore Wetlands 

In the past century, most wetlands have been drained, filled, and disconnected from the flowing rivers and streams that once brought them life. In California, more than ninety percent of the wetlands that once spread across the state have disappeared.  

This May, we invite you to explore a wetland near you. Observe the incredible biodiversity, enjoy the natural tranquility, and reflect upon the importance of preserving and restoring our remaining wetland habitats for the species that rely on them and the communities that they enrich. Each of us can be a voice for the wetlands. 

Explore a wetland near you! 

  • Carp Salt Marsh 
  • Goleta Slough 
  • Ventura River Estuary 

Filed Under: Marine Conservation, Uncategorized

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Contact Us

714 Bond Avenue
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
[email protected]
(805) 563-3377

Subscribe to eNews

© 2023 Santa Barbara Channelkeeper | Website by Mission Web Marketing
NAVIGATION
  • About
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Our Team
    • Our Boat
    • Our History
    • Our Impact
    • About the Santa Barbara Channel
    • About Local Watersheds
    • Strategic Framework
    • Financial Information
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Our Work
    • Education
      • Student Art Show
    • Community Engagement
      • Cruise Ship Advocacy
      • Report Pollution
      • Volunteer
      • Water Conservation
      • Oil Spill Resource Guide
      • Film Plastic Recyling
      • Action Alerts
    • Field Work
      • Beach Water Quality
      • Stream Team
        • Water Quality Indicators
        • Stream Team Data Portal
        • Leydecker Archives
      • MPA Watch
      • Cruise Ship Monitoring
      • Ocean Acidification
    • Advocacy
      • Aquaculture Advocacy
      • Polluted Runoff
      • Agriculture
      • Oil & Gas
        • Protecting the Coast from Sable Offshore’s Pipeline Restart
        • Refugio Oil Spill
        • Oil Spill Resource Guide
        • Platform Decommissioning
        • Legacy Oil Wells
        • Offshore Fracking
      • Ventura River
      • Plastic
        • Film Plastic Recyling
      • Marine Protected Areas
        • MPA Watch
      • Water Supply
        • Desalination
        • Conservation
    • Enforcement
      • Ventura River
      • Offshore Fracking
      • Agriculture
      • Sewage
      • Ojai Quarry
      • Halaco
  • Media
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
    • Newsletter Archive
    • eNews Archive
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
  • Take Action
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Volunteer
      • Watershed Brigade
      • MPA Watch
    • Report Pollution
    • Action Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNews
    • Shop
      • Buy Channelkeeper Gear
      • Shop & Support Channelkeeper
  • Donate