NOAA hosts ‘Vet Into Your Sanctuary’ cruise to Channel Islands

Twenty central coast veterans got the opportunity to see the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary up close on Saturday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, took the group of veterans on the trip to instill the value of national marine sanctuaries among veterans and highlight the recreational value of the Channel Islands ecosystem through hands-on exploration.

“It helps inspire people to why those special places called marine sanctuaries deserve our attention and our protection but are also open to people to use them to go out boating, surfing, diving, and to go catch a fish in the marine sanctuary,” said NOAA Regional Director Bill Douros.

Douros said the veterans were able to pull a net and get a sense of the plastic and plankton in the water.

One veteran said he was excited to see whales and had never been to the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary before.

A NOAA volunteer said there are plenty of ways to visit the Channel Islands Sanctuary including daily charter boat trips from Santa Barbara. She said if someone was up to the challenge there is an annual Chumash canoeing trip to the islands from Ventura every year.