NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

06/04/2026

An INCREDIBLE find by our research team and partners at Aquarium of the Pacific! ✨ Read more about the discovery of the white abalone in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/notes/2026/first-live-white-abalone-found-in-5-years-channel-islands-survey.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawSOkV9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF1Sk9ycHVEUXdNN0ZVVllqc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuOUqBHGd7u72mcpe508S3HpMDRIabq0YxjbphUenf8h2W-Bi7PiffPi1oLv_aem_YWdncwA5olSFpOGU17vHbY3Vj4cs&brid=YWdncwFtKkCS63UFBXwTcMIFX90Q

First Live White Abalone Found in Five Years During Channel Islands Survey 🐚

A team of scientists and sanctuary staff conducting habitat surveys in NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary recently made an exciting discovery: a live white abalone, a federally endangered marine snail whose population has declined by an estimated 99% since the 1970s.

Read more about this rare sighting in our latest : https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/notes/2026/first-live-white-abalone-found-in-5-years-channel-islands-survey.html.

📸: Athena Maguire/CDFW

05/29/2026

Last chance! Apply to be on the Channel Islands Sanctuary Advisory Council by this Sunday, May 31st! Learn more on our website: https://channelislands.noaa.gov/sac/apply.html

📢📢📢 Now Accepting Applications! Join the Sanctuary Advisory Council. Apply by May 31st!

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council is a community-based body that provides a public forum for consultation and deliberation on resource management issues affecting the waters surrounding the Channel Islands. Since its establishment in 1998, the council has played a vital role advising sanctuary staff and NOAA on decisions affecting the sanctuary. Council members contribute valuable advice and expertise to inform sound management decisions, and their public meetings provide a community forum for learning and discussion about important marine conservation issues.

Individuals appointed to the 12 public seats on the Sanctuary Advisory Council serve voluntary terms of two to three years. We are currently recruiting council members for the following seats:

🦭 Tourism (member and alternate positions)

🦭 Recreational Fishing (member and alternate positions)

🦭 Research (member and alternate positions)

🦭 Non-Consumptive Recreation (member and alternate positions)

Details on how to apply are available on our website here: https://channelislands.noaa.gov/sac/apply.html.

Photo Credit: Rob Schwemmer/NOAA

05/27/2026

Reminder! The Dockwalker Program⛵️still has a few more virtual training sessions for new volunteers in southern California. New volunteers can attend a virtual training tomorrow from 10:00am to 12:45pm. Returning volunteers can attend a refresher training today from 2:00pm to 3:30pm. Check out their website to sign up! https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29230

If you care about keeping our waterways pollution free, and you're between the ages of 15 and 100, consider becoming a Dockwalker! Dockwalker Program volunteers help educate boaters about clean boating practices. Since 2000, more than 130,000 boater kits, packed with pollution preventing materials, have been distributed to boaters. The next training (free and virtual!) for Southern California is on Saturday, March 21st. Learn more on their website: https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29199 Photo Credit: California State Parks

05/26/2026

The Get In Your Sanctuary Photo Contest is now open! 🌊Submit you favorite sanctuary photos.📸 Check out NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries post for more details.

05/23/2026

Congratulations to all the graduates of 2026! 🎓This year, celebrate with more ocean-friendly decorations. Balloons are often carried by the wind into the ocean, and they have been found more than 1,400 meters beneath the sea surface! 🚫🎈🚫 Instead, consider celebrating graduates with florals 🌻or bubbles🫧 .

To read more about how party balloons may impact the ocean, check out this guest blog from NOAA Hollings Scholar Laura Anthony: https://blog.marinedebris.noaa.gov/scary-truth-about-party-balloons

Photo Credit: NOAA

05/22/2026

📢📢📢 Now Accepting Applications! Join the Sanctuary Advisory Council. Apply by May 31st!

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council is a community-based body that provides a public forum for consultation and deliberation on resource management issues affecting the waters surrounding the Channel Islands. Since its establishment in 1998, the council has played a vital role advising sanctuary staff and NOAA on decisions affecting the sanctuary. Council members contribute valuable advice and expertise to inform sound management decisions, and their public meetings provide a community forum for learning and discussion about important marine conservation issues.

Individuals appointed to the 12 public seats on the Sanctuary Advisory Council serve voluntary terms of two to three years. We are currently recruiting council members for the following seats:

🦭 Tourism (member and alternate positions)

🦭 Recreational Fishing (member and alternate positions)

🦭 Research (member and alternate positions)

🦭 Non-Consumptive Recreation (member and alternate positions)

Details on how to apply are available on our website here: https://channelislands.noaa.gov/sac/apply.html.

Photo Credit: Rob Schwemmer/NOAA

05/20/2026

05/19/2026

💫Congrats to photographer Larry Feder for winning third place in the 2025 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest! 🏆This incredible photo was taken in our very own Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary!

Check out more great photos here:
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsanctuaries.noaa.gov%2Fearthisblue%2Fsanctuary-life-2025.html%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExUTlwbENZYTkyWFE4dHNOOXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4LZlM16o8vwlTw9GC2FuS0SqUbvJIlcOHFAG4Yze-o6nTvkkkB4reFLjPYCA_aem_YWdncwDZaeoSRK3M_9JhK5rTOFh4%26brid%3DYWdncwEC-F17p5HFRXdgPsL6j_mZ&h=AUARf5vMHTVLL5H7irmPWtXVzfQuRnMgPuCvoFzSMv02viYpuPDJyo56xjEbZMZ4cLNmsCdHf5XdJI3K6vVOvEZ-oscLz-XL3sU7nIBUIQfsY-JPm6r2G6iYHizNRAA34-XPNHpHPkLQix7z&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUCnUwEegXuuQazLOoR00FhdAqCDG1eBlR2ydfBct5HBiUCEf9eMprjh_kgqdsRjSsF2Or7Q0ZJBSAlGdd7c5EaYLVFhEi5Q30jraeLBo5QmANM5z9sFuhjm7fWlPy88EMY2cyBQEBWg-fpTcpIZj0rUPACq4mnkc7awOccOYhFeYuClnKnQeIM3MMi8i4puk8e3MRLV43jWFtR-aeXD7e72LA

📸: Larry Feder

What a moment! Photographer Larry Feder captured this incredible shot of a humpback whale 🐋 (Megaptera novaeangliae) fluke next to some long-beaked common dolphins 🐬(Delphinus capensis). A beautiful capture in NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. He won 3rd Place in the Sanctuary Life category of the 2025 Photo Contest. 🥉 Congratulations!

Check out all the winners in the Sanctuary Life category: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/earthisblue/sanctuary-life-2025.html.

📸: Larry Feder

05/18/2026

See a spout? Watch out! 🐋

We’re expanding our See a Spout program to the West Coast and Hawaii! This program helps ocean users stay safe and learn how to observe and protect whales in each region. New FREE online courses are now live in NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA's Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, and Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary .

In under 30 minutes, you’ll learn how to:
✔ Understand whale behavior
✔ View whales responsibly
✔ Respond if you see a whale in distress

These courses are perfect for boaters, paddlers, and anyone who spends time in the ocean or wants to learn more about whales on the East Coast in NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, West Coast, and Hawai’i! They were created in partnership with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, NOAA Fisheries Service, NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic, NOAA Fisheries West Coast, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, The Marine Mammal Center, and the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area.

Learn more about the courses: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/boating/see-a-spout.html.

Share with your crew and help keep sanctuary waters safe for whales and people alike!

📸: J. Moore/NOAA Permit #20311

05/16/2026

What did those students see swimming around the Channel Islands? 🤔 Orcas! These animals are characterized by their distinct black and white bodies. 🖤🤍 Orcas are highly social animals that often live in social groups called pods. They coordinate with pod members to work as a team and catch prey, similar to wolf packs. 🐺

There are many distinct populations of orcas, and each have different styles of communication and hunting. While some populations predominantly eat fish🐟, others may snack on other marine mammals🦭.

Learn more about these fascinating animals here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/killer-whale

Photo: Claire Fackler/NOAA