Indigenous collaborative co-stewardship will drive management

For National Marine Sanctuary Day, the Marine Fish Conservation Network celebrates its newest addition: the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary!

On October 11, NOAA announced America’s 17th national marine sanctuary, Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The first Tribally nominated national marine sanctuary covers 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters along 116 miles of California’s central coast. Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will focus on protecting the diverse marine life and honoring the connections Indigenous peoples have to this beautiful region.

“This historic Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary designation, made possible thanks to President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative, will help provide critical environmental protections and allow tribal and Indigenous community management of the new sanctuary,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This milestone in our commitment to Indigenous communities and natural lands will boost recreation, tourism and other local industries along California’s central coast.”

Indigenous collaborative co-stewardship will create opportunities for Tribes and Indigenous community members to take part in caring for this special place alongside NOAA. NOAA intends to highlight and honor the Indigenous cultural heritage of the first stewards of these lands and waters.

“NOAA recognizes and celebrates this unique area’s modern day and historic cultural connections to Indigenous peoples. Tribal and Indigenous communities will be co-stewards, as informed by their values, knowledge and traditions,” said NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad, Ph.D. “The sanctuary designation will support and conserve the area’s rich biodiversity, create new opportunities for research and economic development, including recreation and tourism, and co-exist with renewable energy, fisheries and other sustainable ocean uses.”

Indigenous Peoples have called California’s central coast home for more than 10,000 years. Now, important submerged cultural sites from long ago will receive long-term protection through sanctuary regulations. The sanctuary honors the deep cultural and historical importance of this region’s Indigenous Peoples, and long-term care of this treasured part of the ocean will be led with respect through community-focused efforts.

“Generations of U.S. land and water policies have placed Native Americans at a great disadvantage throughout our history,” said Kenneth Kahn, chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Today’s announcement is a sign that things are changing. The Chumash tribal government never relinquished its aboriginal right to manage our traditional homelands. We are grateful that NOAA recognizes this inherent sovereignty and welcomed us as a co-steward of the sanctuary that bears our name.”

Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is the fifth designated in California and one of the largest in the National Marine Sanctuary System. The sanctuary designation takes effect following 45 days of continuous session of the U.S. Congress, which is anticipated to be in December 2024.

Top image: Chumash Sanctuary coastline, by Robert Schwemmer via NOAA