Introduction

About the Series

The four book series, Explore the National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau has been developed in partnership with the National Marine Sanctuary system and Ocean Future Society. Text in italics is excerpted from the previously, limited-edition book America’s Underwater Treasures by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Julie Robinson with photography by Carrie Vonderhatt. That book describes the experience and research of Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Team while diving all 13 underwater marine sanctuaries and the one underwater marine monument. Their experiences is captured in a film by the same name aired on PBS as part of Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures. The current series is offered to make information on these vital sanctuaries even more inclusive for the American public.

Each book in the series takes readers to one of the four regions of the country into which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has organized its management of the National Marine Sanctuaries. This book, Explore the West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau, visits sanctuaries and a national monument off Hawaii and American Samoa. The other books in the series are:, Explore the Southeast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau, Explore the Northeast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau and Explore the Pacific Islands National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau,.

The first National Marine Sanctuary in the United States was established only decades ago, while Yellowstone, the oldest of the American National Parks ,was created in 1872. By comparison the parks, these natural marine jewels were damaged upon arrival. Only small portions remain pristine. For many, their destinations arose amidst threats to one or a number of aspects to their survival. Like terrestrial parks, these are special habitats, managed zones for the recovery of critical species like humpback whales or juvenile rockfish but, most importantly, they attempt to preserve the integrity of the web of life.

Ironically, we discovered that managing these resources for sustainability was in truth an exercise in managing ourselves. And that’s not bad, as we’re still learning, an easy job. At each destination we were privileged witnesses to the real-time drama of marine conservation playing out across the United States. At the heart of it, we found a powerful paradigm shift happening in environmentalism. Fishermen, environmentalists and scientists from opposite sides of the aisle were sitting down together with rolled-up sleeves, poring through scientific research, debating the merits of reserves and restoration, and coming to terms with the new definition of sanctuary. “These are,” as Dan Basta, past director of the National Marine Sanctuary System, reminded us, “still works in progress.”

The National Marine Sanctuaries’ West Coast Region

The five West Coast national marine sanctuaries encompass 12,682 square miles (32,846 km) of ocean, including hundreds of miles of dramatic coastline. Teeming with life and filled with history, they offer countless opportunities for exploration, recreation and contemplation. The West Coast Region seeks to support research into human connections to the sea that includes indigenous native cultures, seafaring traditions and the discovery and protection of maritime heritage resources, such as shipwrecks, and those objects which remain in place to remind us of historic activities including lighthouses, historic wharves, docks and piers. The West Coast Regional office of the national marine sanctuaries manages marine protected areas around the Channel Islands, Monterey Bay, Gulfof the Farallones, Cordell Bank and Olympic Coast, Each of the five West Coast national marine sanctuaries is a jewel unto itself, but also to the entire coast from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico and to the far reaches of the world ocean via ocean currents.