Underwater Worlds

Situated 25 miles off the southern California coast, the windswept Channel Islands are a haven for marine mammals, harboring 18 species of whales and dolphins and four species of seals and sea lions. Gray whales with calves in tow cruise by the islands during their annual Baja-to-Bering Sea migration. California sea lions zoom acrobatically through luxuriant kelp beds. And thousands of Pacific harbor seals haul out on San Miguel Island's sandy beaches to breed and pup each year.

Why such abundant marine life? The answer is simple -- food. A confluence of ocean currents and seasonal upwellings support rich food webs, from microscopic plankton to top predators like great white sharks. To preserve this diversity and help nearby marine ecosystems recover from years of overfishing, California officials declared 175 square miles of ocean surrounding the islands permanently off-limits to fishing. The state's reserve policies took effect in April 2003, making the Channel Islands marine reserve the largest "no-take" area off the West Coast. In 2007, the federal government expanded the protected areas by an additional 145 square miles, extending their boundaries into deeper waters six miles from the islands' coastlines. California is working to create a network of protected areas along the entire state coastline.

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Photos: top, Laura Francis, National Marine Sanctuary; right, Shane Anderson; bottom, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service