Catalina Island's biodiversity facing threat from gillnets, scientists warn
Santa Catalina Island, just 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, is about an hour's journey by boat. Here, rolling hills meet pristine beaches and Avalon, its only incorporated city, hums with the quiet charm of a bygone era.
But to truly understand Catalina's beauty, and its greatest challenge, you must dive deeper.
"Catalina is one of the eight Channel Islands and it's an area that is incredibly biodiverse. It's called the 'Galapagos of North America' because it's teeming with life," said Christina Ochoa, a Barcelona-based actor and marine biologist.
Ochoa works with a global organization called Oceana to protect marine life. Their mission is to film Catalina's underwater beauty before it's lost, using Ochoa's vast social media to expose destructive fishing practices.
With thousands of plant and animal species, including dozens found nowhere else on Earth, Catalina is a world-class diving destination. Yet scientists warn this underwater paradise faces a growing threat as the delicate balance between nature and modern life becomes harder to maintain.
At stake is Catalina's kaleidoscope of life, from vibrant kelp forests to species still being discovered.
"We're just scratching the surface of the diversity here," said Geoff Shester, Oceana's senior scientist.
One of the greatest threats, he said, comes from set gillnets — nearly invisible walls of mesh used by commercial fishermen that each stretch over a mile along the ocean floor. These nets trap marine life indiscriminately, killing not only fish, but whales, sharks, and other species critical to the ecosystem.
According to federal fishery observers, 64% of animals caught with set gillnets are discarded.
Although California voted to ban them decades ago, a loophole allows them to be used in the some waters around the Channel Islands.
"These nets are basically just walls of death," Shester said.
Scuba diving trainer Mineli Arkelian, who was part of Oceana's crew, said the loss of wildlife is already worrying many in the diving tourism industry.
"Each season we see less and less of these animal encounters, and you really do think to yourself what kind of an ocean is there going to be 20 years from now?" Arkelian said.
But not everyone agrees. Chris Voss, President of the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, argues the bycatch — the unintended capture of non-targeted species — is incidental. He warns that banning gillnets could harm the industry — already struggling to stay afloat.
"Their space is highly restrictive already and if you restrict it further you will definitely put this handful of individuals that still in this fishery out of business," he said.
Ochoa sees it differently.
"If we don't protect this there's going to be nothing left," she said.
