The following chart highlights some of the ways in which the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary plays an important role in our lives. It is, of course, not comprehensive. (Footnotes describe the limitations to, and sources for, these statistics.)
Examples of human interaction with the Sanctuary are found throughout the Ecosystem Observations report. For example, pages 5-6 list important dates in the Sanctuary’s history—many of which highlight efforts to effectuate ecosystem protections. Other relevant articles include those about technological advances that improve our research capabilities (p. 7), tidal erosion at Elkhorn Slough (pp. 12-14), California sea otters (p. 15), Marbled Murrelets (pp. 15-16), ballast water (pp. 20-21), fishery resources (pp. 18-20), and aquaculture (pp. 22-25).

San Mateo County coast – 1.89 million paid and free day users

Santa Cruz County coast – 4.17 million paid and free day users

Monterey County coast – 2.29 million paid and free day users

(Estimates)1 San Luis Obispo County coast, north of the Sanctuary boundary – 437,378 paid and free day users

Whale watch and sea life cruises – 20,300 people

Sail and yacht charters – 12,980 people

Please note: these numbers represent a few, but not all, whale watch and pleasure boat charters in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo Counties

Estimated number of kayak trips via rentals or tours – 29,500

Please note: these numbers represent a few, but not all, kayak shops in Monterey, Moss Landing, Santa Cruz, Cambria, and San Simeon

Estimated number of regular surfers on the Monterey Peninsula

– 300 annually

Estimated number of regular surfers from Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz to Capitola – 300 daily

Lessons or rentals provided in Santa Cruz—3,000

Lessons or rentals provided in Monterey—1,600

Total divers – 20

Total locations – 19

Total bottom time – 42 hours and 29 minutes

Total surveys completed – 58

Total species counted – 67

Most frequently sighted species: painted greenling (seen on 90% of dives), blackeye goby, and kelp rockfish

Coastal Cleanup beach debris collected, by county:

Marin – 7,104 lbs. trash; 2,731 lbs. recyclables; 1,076 volunteers

San Mateo – 91,417 lbs. trash; 26,940 lbs. recyclables; 1,462 volunteers

Santa Cruz – 6,000 lbs. trash; unknown lbs. recyclables; 1,500 volunteers (note: these are estimated numbers only, exact figures not available)

Monterey – 3,527 lbs. trash; 1,543 lbs. recyclables; 1,191 volunteers

San Luis Obispo – 5,567 lbs. trash; 3,331 lbs. recyclables; 1,058 volunteers

Of special note, approximately 100 recreational divers collected more than 605 lbs. of trash and 40 lbs. of recyclables at Monterey Harbor.

Estimated contacts with the public:

Save Our Shores Sanctuary Stewards (Santa Cruz and San Mateo) – 75,000

BAY NET (Santa Cruz and Monterey Peninsula) – 35,000

Friends of the Elephant Seal (San Luis Obispo County) – 100,000

Sanitary Exceedances and Unauthorized Discharges(9)

(Jan. 1, 2001 – Oct. 9, 2001)

Reported sanitary exceedances and unauthorized discharges, by county:

Marin
Effluent exceedances in watershed – 0
Effluent exceedances w/direct discharges to Sanctuary – 0
Unauthorized discharges in watershed – 0
Unauthorized direct discharges to Sanctuary – 0

San Mateo
Effluent exceedances in watershed – 0
Effluent exceedances w/direct discharges to Sanctuary – 0
Unauthorized discharges in watershed – 0
Unauthorized direct discharges to Sanctuary – 0

Santa Cruz
Effluent exceedances in watershed – 8
Effluent exceedances w/direct discharges to Sanctuary – 1
Unauthorized discharges in watershed – 3
Unauthorized direct discharges to Sanctuary – 12

Monterey
Effluent exceedances in watershed – 25
Effluent exceedances w/direct discharges to Sanctuary – 1
Unauthorized discharges in watershed – 4
Unauthorized direct discharges to Sanctuary – 18

San Luis Obispo
Effluent exceedances in watershed – 0
Effluent exceedances w/direct discharges to Sanctuary – 0
Unauthorized discharges in watershed – 0
Unauthorized direct discharges to Sanctuary - 0

Beach Postings and Closures(10)

monitoring as required by State Law AB411 (not all beaches are monitored)

By county:

Marin – no beach closures or postings from Rocky Point to Point Bonita.

(Note: Marin does not have a monitoring program, except for oil spills.)

San Mateo – information not available from the county.

Santa Cruz – (Jan. 1, 2001- Sept. 30, 2001) – 4 beaches posted due to sewage spills for 8 days; 5 beaches posted for unknown reasons for 47 days; 4 beaches permanently posted due to high levels of fecal contamination; 1 beach posted seasonally.

Monterey – (Jan. 1, 2001 – Oct. 25, 2001) – 1 beach closed for sewage spill; 6 beaches had advisories for high bacteria for a total of 16 days.

San Luis Obispo – (Apr. 2001 – Oct. 2001) – no beach closures, 1 advisory at a Cambria beach for 4 days.

* The above data represent only 21 reported National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Endangered Species Act violations (within the Sanctuary) that were assigned case numbers by the NOAA Enforcement Management Information System. The data do not reflect total reported incidents or number of convictions. They suggest a relative comparison of the type of violations occurring within the Sanctuary. (MPWC= motorized personal watercraft)