The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) West Coast region briefed the council on regional sanctuary priorities including the recently designated Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, condition and vulnerability assessments, restoration projects and outreach.

Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

Sarah Fangman, West Coast regional director for ONMS, told the council that Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was designated Nov. 30, 2024, covering roughly 4,500 square miles of Central California ocean and coastline around San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. New sanctuary regulations prohibit some activities (for example new oil and gas development and disturbance of historical resources) but, Fangman said, "there are no prohibitions that directly affect lawful commercial salmon fishing activities" in the sanctuary as designated.

Condition reports, vulnerability assessments and Sanctuary Watch

Sanctuary staff summarized recently completed condition reports for Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank and outlined ongoing vulnerability assessments for Olympic Coast, Monterey Bay and Channel Islands sanctuaries. Those vulnerability assessments, staff said, identified heightened exposure of some species and habitats to marine heat waves and climate change.

Sanctuary staff also highlighted Sanctuary Watch (a public data portal) and a planned new West Coast deep‑seafloor community tracker that will incorporate groundfish trawl survey data.

Research and restoration highlights

- Deep‑sea coral research: Channel Islands sanctuary staff are completing an analysis of associations between commercially landed species and structure‑forming invertebrates (deep‑sea corals) and are preparing an economic‑value paper and spatial analyses to inform EFH work.

- Kelp restoration and urchin culling: ONMS highlighted multi‑year work in Greater Farallones and Monterey Bay to remove invasive purple urchins, outplant bull kelp and monitor outcomes. The Monterey Bay collaboration reported over 630,000 urchins removed by recreational diver teams during a prior pilot and continued monitoring to evaluate whether kelp recruitment becomes self‑sustaining.

Marine mammal protection and gear innovation

Sanctuary staff described voluntary vessel speed reduction zones between May and January and reported improved compliance in 2024 (San Francisco–Monterey area cooperation rose to 72% from 67% in 2023), with modeling suggesting these efforts contributed to an estimated 25% reduction in ship‑strike risk for humpback and blue whales in sanctuary areas. Staff also described continued testing and loaning of innovative “pop‑up” fixed gear designed to reduce whale entanglement risk; a foundation‑run experimental fishing permit is supporting trials with Dungeness crab fishers.

Coordination asks and next steps

The Habitat Committee asked sanctuaries to coordinate timing of public comment for the Olympic Coast management plan review with council meeting dates where possible, and asked to receive additional presentations on deep‑sea coral associations once papers are published.

Ending: ONMS staff volunteered to supply additional data and return to the council with progress reports; the council agreed to receive follow‑up material and to coordinate where sanctuaries’ management plan reviews overlap council processes.