Marine Conservation
Through collaborative partnerships with Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, the Resources Legacy Fund, and Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation has identified and implemented cutting-edge technologies focused on protecting marine species. Our projects bridge the gap between technology and directed implementation for the benefit of transient and resident whales, fish, and invertebrates.
Sustainable Shipping
CMSF coordinates ongoing regional efforts to promote sustainable shipping by reducing the risk of ship-strikes on endangered whales through the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program. Partnering with NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Air Pollution Control Districts, and our NGO partners, CMSF works to incentivize container and car carrier companies to cooperate with NOAA’s voluntary VSR to protect endangered whales, reduce harmful air emissions, and decrease underwater noise.
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CMSF also runs a Brand Ambassador program, which works to create an important demand signal showing carrier companies that brands and retailers are committed to sustainable shipping.
M2
CMSF partners with Resources Legacy Fund and ProtectedSeas to pilot shore-based radar monitoring systems, known as Marine Monitor (M2). These systems track vessel activity within nearshore areas, providing an enhanced understanding of human uses and activities in the marine areas where monitoring systems are deployed.
eFINS
In collaboration with NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, CMSF supports projects focused on piloting innovative technologies to improve, track, and understand threats to California’s coastal and marine resources. Since 2015, we’ve partnered with CINMS, Resources Legacy Fund, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Channel Islands National Park to build, launch, and maintain a mobile data collection app called the electronic Fisheries Information Network System (eFINS). The app is being piloted statewide as a mechanism for marine wardens and officers to easily collect and share important information from enforcement encounters while patrolling offshore areas.
Whale Population Surveys
To better inform Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) efforts, CMSF is a project partner in support of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary's aerial survey program that seeks to better understand the distribution and density of large whales in the Santa Barbara Channel region.
