The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary conducts boat, aircraft, and diving operations in support of Sanctuary management, research, education, and enforcement programs. Field operations enable Sanctuary staff to maintain a direct connection to the resources they are charged to protect and provide real-time assessment of conditions in the Sanctuary. Sanctuary staff spend hundreds of hours in the field each year performing scientific research, collecting information for educational programs, monitoring various human activities and natural phenomenon, and conducting enforcement surveillance, investigation, and response.