Resource Management Issues: Emergency Response and Oil Spills

Overview of the issue
Emergency response within the Sanctuary ranges from small events associated with fuel and oil discharges, debris and habitat damage from vessel groundings, sinkings and plane crashes, to larger oil spills from offshore shipping traffic, sunken vessels or natural seeps where damages can span hundreds of miles of coastline.

How is the Sanctuary involved?
Response to larger spills is led by the US Coast Guard (USCG) and California Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, with the Sanctuary participating to provide information and assess damage to resources. Staffs also participate on USCG’s contingency planning committee to coordinate response to large spills via advance planning. Interagency response coverage remains inadequate for some portions of MBNMS coastline, such as the Big Sur and Cambria area where rescue vessels and crews must travel long distances.

For smaller events and vessels, the Sanctuary has often assumed a lead role in ensuring that fuel and oil, debris and where possible, the vessel itself, is adequately removed to minimize damage. MBNMS has recently initiated an interagency subcommittee effort to improve prevention, coordinated interagency response and funding efforts related to small vessel sinkings and groundings.