Tomales Bay

The Bay is a significant biological community that supports a diversity of habitats, including; eelgrass beds, intertidal sand and mud flats, and salt and freshwater marshes. Large subtidal meadows of eelgrass grow in the northern half of Tomales Bay between Pelican Point and Tom's Point where temperatures, salinities, and tidal exchange resemble those in the Pacific. Thousands of species of birds, invertebrates and plants, and numerous threatened and endangered species inhabit the watershed, such as Brown Pelicans, Coho Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Red-legged Frogs, Western Snowy Plover, Northern Spotted Owl, Tidewater Goby, Steller Sea Lions, and the Point Reyes Jumping Mouse. The watershed is especially important to approximately 20,000 wintering shorebird, seabirds, and waterbirds, among many other bird species that occur both seasonally and year-round (Kelly, 1998). The waters of the Bay are also important to many fish species, including salmon, eels, sturgeon, halibut, endangered Coho Salmon, and the commercially important Pacific Herring that rely, respectively, on its creeks and extensive eelgrass beds to spawn. Several species of marine mammals have been documented in the Bay and there is a resident harbor seal population that breeds there. The seal population ranges between 500 and 800 seals depending on the time of year. View the map and coordinates of the designated no-anchoring seagrass protection zones (PDF, 173KB)

Vessel Usage Plan

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the California State Lands Commission (SLC), are co-leaders of a multi-agency effort to identify ways to improve ecosystem protection in Tomales Bay. Eleven local, state and federal agencies with jurisdiction over boating, parks, waters, submerged lands, and shore areas of Tomales Bay jointly developed a document for public input, Protecting Tomales Bay by Managing Vessel Usage. This is an effort to promote collaboration and coordination among agencies, and to initiate a public input process.

The document was released for public comment on August 31, 2007 and the public comment period closed on December 3, 2007. During that time, three public workshops were held and public comments was received. View response to Public Comments (176 KB PDF).

Public Process

We are committed to continuing to engage boaters and the local community in providing input on the development of a draft vessel management plan for Tomales Bay. To that end, Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary Advisory Council has initiated a Working Group for Tomales Bay Vessel Management. The Working Group consists of representatives of boating associations, shellfish growers, commercial fishermen, boat services operations, conservation organizations, shore-side property owners, and state and federal agencies with jurisdiction in Tomales Bay.

Working Group

Working Group meetings were held through April 2009. The next, and final Working Group meeting will be held on April 29. 2009: 9:30 -3:00 pm. PRNS Headquarters, Red Barn, Olema. Note: these meetings will be open to the public for observation but not for participation. Working Group topics include: vessel sewage and oil waste disposal services; mooring criteria; mooring fields; mooring tackle; mooring permitting process; and boater education.

Working Group members include:
Dominque Richard, Chair
Jerry Abbott, Inverness Yacht Club"/ Tomales Bay Watershed Council
Mark Bartolini, Tomales Bay Boaters Association
Gordon Bennett, Sierra Club
George Clyde, East Shore Planning Group
John Finger, Hog Island Oyster Company
Jeremy Fisher-Smith, Fisher-Smith Boat Works
John Granatir, Blue Water Kayaking
Gene Mafucci, Herring Fishermen
Tom Moore, California Department of Fish and Game
Colin Smith, National Park Service
Fred Smith, Environmental Action Committee, West Marin
Nancy Smith, California State Lands Commission
Skip Vilicich, Marshall Boat Works
Willy Vogler, Lawson's Landing

For more information contact:
Brad Damitz
tel.(415) 259-5766
fax (415) 561-6616
991 Marine Drive, The Presidio
San Francisco, CA 94129
Brad.Damitz@noaa.gov

Summaries of Working Group Meetings:
March 27, 2008 (28Kb PDF)
June 27, 2008 (28 kB PDF).
July 24, 2008 (56 kB PDF).
October 30, 2008 (76Kb PDF).
November 12, 2008 (176Kb PDF).

Documents and Presentations

Protecting Tomales Bay by Managing Vessel Usage: A Document for Public Input (26.2 MB PDF)
Appendix I: Government Agency Jurisdiction and Regulation (352 kB PDF) Appendix II: Tomales Bay TMDL (72 kB PDF)
Appendix III: Mooring Criteria-GIS Information for Maps (24 kB PDF)

Presentation by Suzanne Olyarnik, Bodega Marine Lab
Seagrass Beds in Tomales Bay: The Unsung Heroes of Habitat (20.9MB PDF)