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Santa Barbara, CA – On Monday, September 8, nineteen volunteers teamed up withrepresentatives from Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Island Packers, Santa Barbara Adventure Company, the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to clear approximately 650 pounds of trash and fishing gear from Chinese Harbor on Santa Cruz Island and Driftwood Cove on Anacapa Island.
During the day-long cleanup effort, the group targeted two areas, beginning with the removal of trash, fishing gear, and remnants of boat debris from Santa Cruz Island in the morning. They moved to Anacapa Island in the afternoon, where they collected items buried among the piles of driftwood, including drink bottles, shoes, Styrofoam, plastic debris, and more. Volunteers used kayaks and a skiff to transport the trash from the shore to the Island Packers boat, which ferried the debris back to the mainland for proper disposal.
The Channel Islands are home to some of the most ecologically diverse ecosystems in the world and many endangered species, making the removal of debris from these remote areas especially important.
Marine debris poses a significant threat to the Channel Islands’ delicate ecosystems and wildlife. Trash from the mainland, along with lost fishing gear, is transported by wind and currents to the islands. This waste can accumulate in large quantities in the shallows and along the beaches, where it can degrade vital habitats and threaten the biodiversity and health of the island’s nativeplants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Sea birds, marine andterrestrial mammals, and fish can mistake plastic for food, leading to ingestion that can cause internal injuries, malnutrition, or even death.
“Removing marine debris from the shorelines of Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is crucial to protecting the local ecosystem,” said Michaela Miller, Senior Conservation Manager for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. “This cleanup effort showcases the power of collaboration, and we’re proud to work alongside our partners to steward these waters and remove debris from these fragile environments.”
This marks the sixth year of collaborative cleanups at the Channel Islands for this group. The event is part of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s broader initiative to remove marine debris from five marine sanctuaries across California, Washington, and the Gulf of Mexico, with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.
“Bringing community volunteers to join our partners in these large-scale cleanups on the remote shores of the Channel Islands is a program highlight,” said Molly Troup, Science and Program Manager for Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. “Participants are always amazed by the everyday items they pick up twenty-plus miles across the Santa Barbara Channel. We hope these experiences inspire greater advocacy efforts needed to help address the plastic crisis at both the local and global scale.”
