Press Release

Contact: Kip Evans (831) 647-4217 or 643-8382

Undersea World Revealed During Fish Count Media Event

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary invites the media to spend a morning at beautiful Point Lobos to cover and participate in the Great American Fish Count, an annual event that explores the variety of fish life in the Sanctuary's kelp forests.

Date/Time: From 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, July 1,
Place: Whalers Cove at Point Lobos State Reserve on Highway 1 in Carmel.

All certified divers are invited to dive with the Sanctuary team. Underwater footage of the event will be provided by the Sanctuary for broadcast, including that of reporters at work underwater - if arranged in advance. Still photographs can also be obtained.

The divers will descend into the kelp forest, gliding above the rocky crags and pinnacles off the Cove - one of the West Coast's most spectacular diving spots - while recording each species of fish they observe.

On land biologists and fish experts will be on hand to answer questions about the Sanctuary's sea life, varieties of fish and historical trends in marine populations.

The Great American Fish Count is a national event, sponsored by the REEF Environmental Education Foundation, American Oceans Campaign (AOC) and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, that takes place the first two weeks of July. Last year more than 700 scuba divers participated in the Great American Fish Count Nation-wide, nearly 300 within the Monterey Bay and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries.

Over the two-week period the divers search select kelp beds and reef areas, recording the species and number of fish they see. The observations provide a record of fish variety and population which is increasingly valuable as scientists assess changes in the marine ecosystem.

Researchers are looking forward to obtaining the results of Wednesday's dive to see what is found this year in the kelp forest.

To RSVP, or for more information please contact: Kip Evans (831) 642-4217 or (831) 643-8382