Marine Sanctuary Opens Satellite

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has opened its first office in the county at Channel Islands Harbor.

Established by Congress in 1980, the sanctuary is responsible for protecting the resources of the waters around the San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands.

The county satellite’s first event will be the visit of a model of the new one-person research submarine DeepWorker to the Ventura County Maritime Museum at the harbor May 28-31.

DeepWorker--which is able to stay at a depth of 2,000 feet for up to two days--helps researchers study megafauna such as sea turtles, sharks and rays and plants in their native habitats, said Mark Bacin, executive director of the museum.

The sanctuary’s main office is in Santa Barbara. Officials have been working to establish the Channel Islands Harbor satellite for the past few months, said spokeswoman Shauna Bingham. A satellite office at Ventura Harbor is also planned.

“Channel Islands is a perfect location, but also it’s important to note that this is an opportunity to reach out to the communities to educate about the resources that are found in the marine sanctuary,” Bingham said.

“We can interact with the public, schools and even fishermen to help us understand how people are using the sanctuary and help them understand why it’s special.”