Photo Credit: Kurt Lieber
By Kurt Lieber, Founder of Ocean Defenders Alliance
“On Friday, September 6th, our flagship boat the Clearwater headed up the California coast, with our new boat, the Miss T, which was ready for action alongside our ole faithful vessel! This is the beginning of a new phase for ODA, as we expand into the northern Channel Islands and begin cleaning up the underwater habitats around Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands.
We are calling this project: Operation Deep Sweep.
All the northern Channel Islands, and the waters immediately surrounding them, are designated as National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS). As such, they have been declared to have national significance worthy of protection, resulting in certain activities—such as fishing—being restricted within NMS boundaries. While this is significant and major progress from a conservation perspective, these areas do allow limited commercial fishing.
Around Anacapa there are several spots where lobster traps are set in high concentrations every year. And of course, a lot of them are lost when the buoys which are supposed to remain attached to the trap become separated. This is part of where ODA can make a difference. We are using a variety of methods to identify these areas and working to remove as much of the debris as possible.”
COMING NEXT: California Diver Magazine dives with Kurt and the ODA