We protect the wildlife, habitats, and cultural resources of one of the most diverse and bountiful marine environments in the world, an area of 3,295 square miles off the northern and central California coast. The waters within Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are a nationally significant marine ecosystem, and support an abundance of life, including many threatened and endangered species.
NOAA's Greater Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries are working with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Pacific Fishery Management Council on an initial scoping process to protect deep-sea coral research and restoration seafloor areas at up to five selected locations within the two sanctuaries. Deep-sea corals provide refuge and food for many other species of invertebrates and fishes threatened by a number of issues, including crushing from the sinking of large vessels, fishing gear impacts and ocean acidification. For more information on the initial scoping process, please visit Deep Sea Habitat.
NOAA intends to invest $2 million to help repair and upgrade NOAA's office and visitor center. This facility is located in a historic lifeboat station at Crissy Field, managed in cooperation with the National Park Service. This investment would help increase public awareness of the sanctuary and support the local tourism economy.
The public comment period has closed for the draft Restoration Plan and NEPA Evaluation for the YFD-70 Dry Dock that proposes to help restore sanctuary resources injured as a result of this incident for Greater Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries. Download and view the plan.
Ocean ecosystems play a significant role in the global carbon cycle, absorbing and storing carbon over long timescales. Blue Carbon in Marine Protected Areas, a new 2-part series released by NOAA and authored by Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Greater Farallones Association, includes information and guidance for MPA managers, and provides the first blue carbon assessment for a US federal MPA.
Each month this year, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is releasing a commemorative poster highlighting each sanctuary. This poster highlights the true beauty and importance of the waters surrounding Greater Farallones.
As the winds slow or reverse direction in the fall, the ocean 'relaxes,' upwelling ceases, and warm surface waters shift back toward the coast. Larval fish and invertebrates are swept inshore to settle and grow. Seabird rookeries fall quiet as the last chicks fledge. The water becomes clearer, inviting white sharks to delectable seal meals.
Beach Watch is the National Ocean Service flagship citizen science program, developed in 1993 to document changes along the California coast. With sanctuary biologists, hundreds of specially trained members of the community conduct surveys to monitor the sanctuary shoreline.
Watch this award winning video to learn more (16th Annual San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival, 2019 Citizen Science Award).
With one-third of the Climate Adaptation Plan's strategies focusing on better understanding and managing sediment along the coast as an effective tool for increasing climate resilience, the Sanctuary developed the Coastal Resilience Sediment Plan, a comprehensive and collaborative approach to climate-informed sediment management along the North-central California coast.
Bolinas Lagoon is an internationally recognized tidal estuary with complex habitat types that support a myraid of plant, bird, terrestrial, and marine species. Just 15 miles north of San Francisco, the Lagoon faces current and future environmental challenges from flooding, erosion, and sea level rise, that threaten its surrounding natural and built environments. Learn more about how Greater Farallones and GFA are working together to help this important ecosystem adapt to these changes so that people, plants, and animals can continue to enjoy the beautiful landscape of Bolinas Lagoon.
This poster features Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, located off the Northern Coast California. A special place for endangered species, sensitive habitats, historic shipwrecks, and cultural resources, this poster highlights the true beauty and importance of the waters surrounding Greater Farallones.
The Greater Farallones Association (GFA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support protection of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary habitats and wildlife through the development of a diverse community of informed and active ocean stewards.
