National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 

 ur five West Coast national 

marine sanctuaries encompass 

nearly 13,000 square miles of ocean 

which includes hundreds of miles 

of dramatic coastline. Teeming 

with life and filled with history, 

they offer countless opportunities 

for exploration, recreation and 

contemplation.

This guide introduces you to the 

natural and cultural wonders of 

your national marine sanctuaries. 

Whether you’re traveling on foot 

or bicycle, by car or boat, above 

water or diving below, it can lead 

you to new discoveries and a greater 

appreciation of these ocean treasures. 

Explore and enjoy!

O

CONTENTS WELCOME

Welcome Page 1

Overview Page 3

Research Page 5

Connected by 

the Currents Page 5

Map Page 7

Habitats Page 9

Wildlife Page 11

Culture Page 13

 Conservation Page 15

Cover: From top left, clockwise:

Stellar Sea Lions. Photo: Bob Wilson

Seabirds. Photo: Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

Giant Kelp. Photo: Laurie C Van De Werfhorst

Planktonic Jelly. Photo: Shane Anderson

Fish-eating Anemone. Photo: Steve Lonhart 
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 

The passage of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 made it possible for special areas of our 

nation’s ocean and Great Lakes waters to be designated as national marine sanctuaries. Following the legacy of our 

national parks, these areas—selected for their biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural history—celebrate and 

safeguard our country’s richest underwater treasures. 

Today, the National Marine Sanctuary System, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA), consists of 13 national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument encompassing more than 

150,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. 

Sanctuaries range in size from the one-quarter-square-mile tropical coral reef of Fagatele Bay National Marine 

 Sanctuary in American Samoa to the 6,094-

 square-mile Monterey Bay National 

 Marine Sanctuary—one of the largest 

 marine protected areas in the

 world. The 139,797-square-mile

 Papahanaumokuakea Marine 

 National Monument in the 

 Northwestern Hawaiian 

 Islands, which became a 

 part of the sanctuary system in June 2006, is larger 

than all the lands managed 

 by the National Park Service

 combined. Together, these 

 14 special places within

 the sanctuary system include

 the breeding andfeeding 

 grounds ofwhales, sea lions,

 sharks and sea turtles; colorful coral 

 reefs, lush kelp forests and deep sea

 gardens of corals and sponges; ancient 

 submerged volcanoes; and archeological treasures

 such as the remains of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor

 off the coast of North Carolina and hundreds ofshipwrecks in Lake Huron

.

Our national marine sanctuaries are part of our collective riches as a nation, treasures that belong to all of us. 

They protect some of our most precious marine resources and serve as natural classrooms. They provide for a wide range 

of recreational activities, from beachcombing and tide pooling to whale watching and sport fishing. They support valuable 

commercial industries such as fishing and kelp harvesting. And they help ensure, with proper management, these 

activities remain a part of our country’s legacy far into the future. 

National Marine Sanctuaries: 

America’s Underwater Treasures

National Marine Sanctuaries: 

America’s Underwater Treasures

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

West Coast Regional Office

99 Pacific Street, Bldg. 200, Suite K

Monterey, CA 93940

(831) 647-1920 

Contact office for addtional copies of publication.

sanctuaries.noaa.gov

To learn more, visit

Papahanaumokuakea

Rose Atoll Marine National Monument

National Marine Sanctuary

Marine National Monument

Proposed for sanctuary designation
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 

http://channelislands.noaa.gov

Healthy Reef at Harris Point. Photo: Jim Knowlton 

CHANNEL ISLANDS

Twenty-five miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, 

the waters around the Channel Islands host an 

incredible array of marine life and habitats. Here, 

warm and cold water currents collide to create a 

transition zone where cold water species blend with 

warmer water species to create unique and diverse 

marine communities. 

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary 

and Channel Islands National Park were both 

designated in 1980 to protect these communities 

and to preserve cultural and archeological treasures. 

The sanctuary encompasses 1,470 square miles 

of ocean around Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa 

Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Islands. The 

sanctuary sits amid some of California's richest 

fishing grounds. To help protect and restore this 

fragile ecosystem, 11 marine reserves closed 

to all fishing and two state marine conservation 

areas open to limited fishing have been set aside. 

Between them, these protected areas cover 318

square miles. The national park also protects the 

five islands and their surrounding waters out to one 

nautical mile. 

Visitors to the islands can walk along sandy 

beaches and rocky shores studded with tide pools. 

Seagrass meadows thrive in shallow, soft-bottomed 

areas. Giant kelp form dense underwater forests 

of amber and gold that attract sport divers from 

around the world. 

More than 30 species of marine mammals, 

including rare blue and humpback whales, come to 

feast on the bounty, as do more than 60 species of 

sea birds. Elephant seals, harbor seals, California 

sea lions and northern fur seals use the islands as 

rookeries. The islands provide important nesting 

sites for Black Storm Petrels and Xantus's Murrelets 

and Anacapa Island is the only permanent rookery 

in California for threatened California Brown 

Pelicans.

The islands are also rich in history. 

Archaeologists have found remnants of sites 

occupied by the early Chumash peoples dating back 

thousands of years. And the prevailing currents and 

weather conditions made shipwrecks a common 

occurrence here; more than 150 ships lie on the 

seafloor around the Islands.

http://montereybay.noaa.gov

Sea Lions. Photo: Brad Damitz

MONTEREY BAY 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary 

embraces a 276-mile-long stretch of the central 

California coast from the Marin Headlands south 

to Cambria, and from the seashore to an average 

35 miles offshore. Designated in 1992, it’s our 

nation’s largest marine sanctuary, protecting 

6,094 square miles of one of the world’s most 

productive marine environments. 

Its northern shores are lined with pocket 

beaches and steep bluffs. The shoreline of 

Monterey Bay itself is a long crescent-shaped 

beach punctuated in the middle by Elkhorn 

Slough. Rugged rocky shores line its southern 

coast where steep mountains rise from the edge 

of the sea. Underwater, one of its major features is 

the huge Monterey Canyon. From its head near 

where Elkhorn Slough meets the bay, the canyon 

meanders 60 miles out to sea, cutting a trench one 

mile deep. In 2008, the sanctuary was expanded to

include the Davidson Seamount, an extinct underhabitats and marine life. More than 450 species 

of algae grow here. And 33 species of marine 

mammals, 94 species of seabirds, 345 species of 

fish, four species of sea turtles and thousands of 

invertebrates have been recorded in its waters. 

Some live here year round. Others visit seasonally 

or migrate through. When the California Current 

runs strongly, it carries cold-water animals down 

from the north. When it weakens in late summer, 

the warm water brings sea turtles, swarms of 

jellies and other plants and animals up from the south.

Some 2,000 sea otters live in kelp beds 

along the coast here. In winter and spring, gray 

whales can be spotted from high bluffs. Visitors 

who venture offshore in boats can find blue and 

humpback whales, along with seabirds, killer 

whales and other dolphins. Divers find kelp 

forests filled with fishes and invertebrates. The 

sanctuary’s rich waters also support important 

commercial and sport fisheries for market squid, 

salmon, rockfish and other species. Giant Kelp. Photo: Hal Beral 

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

Cordell Bank Reef. Photo: Robert Schmieder, Cordell Expeditions

The sanctuary contains a great diversity of 

water volcano with 200-year-old coldwater corals.
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast •  http://cordellbank.noaa.gov

Rosy Rockfish. Photo: Jodi Pirtle/CBNMS

CORDELL BANK

The most remote of the five West Coast sanctuaries 

is Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, just 

52 miles northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Designated in 1989, the sanctuary protects 529

square miles of ocean around Cordell Bank—an 

underwater mountain that rises to within 115 feet 

of the surface. The bank sits 20 miles west of Point

Reyes on the edge of the continental shelf, where

the seafloor drops off precipitously into the depths. 

Salmon, tuna and other large predatory fish 

use the sanctuary seasonally. Over 20 species of

marine mammals migrate from around the globe

to feed in these productive waters, as do many

species of seabirds—including migratory

albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels.

The bank’s undersea ridges and pinnacles 

are covered with colorful gardens of sponges, 

anemones and hydrocorals. These provide homes to 

flourishing communities of fishes, such as lingcod 

and rockfish and invertebrates such as seastars, 

urchins, crabs and giant Pacific octopus. 

Since the sanctuary is entirely offshore, it can

only be visited by boat, and even then, only in good 

weather. September and October are the best 

months, when calm seas and light winds make the 

trip smoother and the marine life easier to see. If 

you’re traveling along the coast, you can learn more 

about Cordell Bank at the Point Reyes National 

Seashore Visitor Center, Gulf of the Farallones 

National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center at Crissy 

Field and Bodega Marine Laboratory in Bodega 

Bay. 

sanctuaries.noaa.gov

To learn more, visit

http://farallones.noaa.gov

Tufted Puffin. Photo: Jeff Foott

GULF OF THE FARALLONES

Designated in 1981, Gulf of the Farallones 

National Marine Sanctuary protects 1,279 square

miles of ocean wilderness off the coast of northern 

California just west of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Marine habitats found here include sandy beaches, 

estuaries, rocky shores, open ocean and deep 

sea. The sanctuary encompasses four estuaries—

Esteros Americano, Esteros de San Antonio, 

Tomales Bay and Bolinas Lagoon—which are 

important nurseries for a host of marine fishes and 

invertebrates and critical habitat for nesting and 

migrating shore and water birds. 

The sanctuary contains 26 federally listed 

endangered or threatened species, including 

seabirds such as Marbled Murrelets. Thirty-six 

species of marine mammals have been seen here. 

It’s also home to one of the most significant 

populations of breeding white sharks in the Pacific 

Ocean and the largest concentration of breeding 

seabirds within the contiguous United States. The 

Gulf of the Farallones also provides crucial habitat 

for more than a quarter million breeding seabirds.

From fall through winter, sanctuary beaches 

serve as nurseries for tens of thousands of elephant 

seals and sea lions; 20 percent of California’s 

harbor seals breed here during the spring. And 

northern fur seals have recently begun breeding on 

the islands again after an absence of more than 

150 years. 

For thousands of years, Coast Miwoks 

harvested the sanctuary's abundant halibut, 

rockfish, salmon, clams and mussels. Explorers,

traders, whalers, sealers and gold miners made this

area an international center of commerce. Many

ancient and modern ships lie entombed within

the sanctuary.

Visitors can begin their exploration of all 

the Gulf of the Farallones has to offer at the 

sanctuary’s visitor center located in San Francisco's

Presidio at West Crissy Field, in the Golden Gate

National Recreation Area.

http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov

Octopus. Photo: Steve Fisher 

OLYMPIC COAST

Designated in 1994, Olympic Coast National 

Marine Sanctuary spans 135 miles of 

coastline to an average of 35 miles offshore, 

encompassing 3,310 square miles in all. Nearly 

two-and-a-half times the size of Olympic 

National Park, the sanctuary’s sparsely 

populated shoreline includes more than 48 miles 

of wilderness beaches. 

Visitors can explore miles of sand and 

cobble beaches and dramatic, rocky shoreline 

with tide pools, offshore islands and seastacks. 

Birders will find large colonies of seabirds 

such as murres and tufted puffins, as well as 

one of the largest populations of bald eagles in 

the lower 48 states. During annual migrations, 

more than a million seabirds, waterfowl and 

shorebirds travel along this coast. 

Twenty-nine species of marine mammals are 

found here. These waters also teem with fishes. 

Seven species of salmon, along with halibut, 

rockfish, herring, sturgeon and others support 

important sport, tribal and commercial fisheries.

These waters are also rich in human history. 

Native peoples—the Hoh, Makah, Quileute 

and Quinault—have lived along this coast for 

thousands of years, as they continue to do today. 

And more than 180 ships lie wrecked on the 

seafloor along this rugged and stormy coast.

Visitors can learn more about sanctuary 

resources, science and conservation, and 

opportunities to explore this wilderness coast by 

visiting the Olympic Coast Discovery Center in 

Port Angeles, and the Makah Museum in Neah

Bay.

Blue Ring Top Snail on Giant Kelp. Photo: Frank Virga 

E WEST COAST 

E WEST COAST

Overview Overview
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 

RESEARCH

R/V Shearwater. Photo: Robert Schwemmer/NOAA

Anacapa Sunrise. Photo: Keith Berson 

Each of our five West Coast national marine 

sanctuaries is a jewel unto itself with its own 

unique character. Each has a distinct set of physical 

conditions, including climate, daily weather 

patterns, the lay of the coast and the make-up of 

the seafloor. These and other factors help define the 

nature of each sanctuary and set each apart from 

the others. 

But in the restless ocean, driven by wind and storms 

and powerful currents, no place is truly isolated 

from another. Each of our sanctuaries is intimately 

connected not only with the others, but also to the 

entire coast from Alaska to Baja, California, and to 

the far reaches of the world ocean.

Our national marine sanctuaries on the West 

Coast are linked by the California Current—a 

broad, shallow “river” of ocean water meandering 

southward along the Pacific Coast. This slowmoving surface current carries some 10 trillion 

gallons of water per hour—a flow 55 times greater 

than the Amazon. Below it, two counter currents, 

the Davidson Current and a deeper undercurrent, 

flow north. 

Carrying cold, nutrient-rich water southward from 

the North Pacific, the California Current shapes the 

nature of the entire west coast, setting the stage for 

an abundance and diversity of ocean life equaled in 

only a few other places on Earth. 

The current runs strongest in spring and summer, 

when northwest winds drive it southward and 

towards the coast. During these times, cold, 

nutrient-rich water wells to the sunlit surface. 

There, light and nutrients fuel an explosion of 

life with clouds of tiny, drifting plants known as 

phytoplankton that form the base of ocean food 

webs here. Closer to shore, these same forces spur 

the growth of towering kelp forests.

When it runs strong, the current carries drifting 

plants and animals southward from sub-arctic 

waters. When it slackens in the fall, the surface 

waters warm and southern species move northward. 

This ever-shifting mix of species adds to the great 

diversity of our marine communities in our West 

Coast national marine sanctuaries.

The current serves as a vast, open highway for 

whales, birds, fishes and plankton, which follow 

Conservation Science in Our 

Sanctuaries Our sanctuaries work in 

partnership with scientists from universities, 

public and private research centers, 

government agencies, international partners 

and other organizations to characterize, 

monitor and study the ocean, habitats and 

the plants and animals in and around them. 

Knowledge gained from this work plays an 

important role in the management of all our 

national marine sanctuaries on the 

West Coast.

Understanding What We Have

Research conducted in these protected areas 

adds to our understanding of the dynamic 

ocean along our coast. One goal is to 

discover what is present within sanctuaries. 

Geologists use sonar, radar-like laser systems 

and other devices to map the seafloor. 

Oceanographers track the flow of winds and 

currents and use satellite imagery and other 

technology to measure water temperatures 

and the abundance and distribution of 

plankton. Archeologists survey the remains 

of shipwrecks. Deep-sea biologists probe 

the depths with manned and unmanned 

submersibles and remote sensors. Others 

study the movements and habits of marine 

mammals and seabirds.

Monitoring Change Long-term 

observations are key to successful long-term 

management of our sanctuaries. Fisheries 

biologists track the status of populations of 

rockfish and other commercially important 

fishes. Oceanographic imagery can alert us 

to changes in climate, the lack or abundance 

of plankton and patterns of productivity. 

Scientists and volunteers patrol beaches 

looking for dead or injured seabirds and 

marine mammals, which could give clues to 

offshore oil spills or other pollution.

Gaining New Understanding

Research on processes that affect the marine 

environment and control connections between 

places is critical to understanding each 

sanctuary’s role within the larger marine 

ecosystem and in protecting the habitats and 

living resources it contains.

Managing for the Future Information 

gathered through these and other studies 

provides us a baseline against which to 

measure future changes in climate and the 

abundance and distribution of plants and 

animals. By monitoring long-term trends, 

we’re able to assess the effectiveness of our 

conservation efforts and make sound resource 

management decisions for the future.

Garibaldi. Photo: Claire Johnson/NOAA

Elephant Seal Pup. Photo: Robert Schwemmer/NOAA

Humpback Whale. Photo: Sophie Webb

sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science

To learn more, visit

CONNECTED BY THE .
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 

Currents Currents

it on long migrations in search of food or suitable 

places to nest, spawn or give birth. For some—such 

as Pacific sardines, northern anchovies, gray 

whales, Western Gulls and Brandt’s Cormorants—

the boundaries of their lives are largely defined by 

the boundaries of the California Current. 

Vast schools of sardines, anchovies and hake spawn 

in the warmer waters around the Channel Islands, 

then swim north through our other sanctuaries 

where they find rich pastures of plankton to feed 

on. The small fishes are joined by giant blue whales 

and other whales that come to feed on krill and 

various plankton.

Salmon spawned in streams along the Olympic 

Coast follow the current north to the Gulf of Alaska 

and south to Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, 

Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands sanctuaries 

in search of food. 

Gray whales traverse the entire coast, passing 

through all five sanctuaries twice each year as 

they migrate from Alaska to Baja, California. 

Meanwhile, pods of transient orcas travel from 

the Olympic Coast to Monterey Bay and Channel 

Islands in spring to hunt gray whale calves as they 

swim north with their mothers. 

Elephant seals, sea lions and fur seals roam widely 

along the coast and far out to sea then return to 

rookeries in the Channel Islands, Monterey Bay 

and the Gulf of the Farallones national marine 

sanctuaries where they give birth to their pups. 

A Brown Pelican or Black Storm Petrel appearing 

along the Olympic Coast may have been hatched 

and fledged on the Channel Islands. And some 

400,000 gulls, cormorants and murres nest in the 

Gulf of the Farallones then fly far and wide to our 

other sanctuaries and beyond. Our sanctuaries 

protect vital habitat for shorebirds and countless 

species, along the important migration route 

known as the Pacific Flyway.

The connections extend further still as other 

species pass through these waters on their way 

to and from more distant places. Each year, 

albacore tuna follow currents across the Pacific 

Ocean and back again; Sooty Shearwaters 

travel here from as far away as New Zealand; 

and leatherback turtles migrate from Indonesia. 

Albatrosses breeding on the Northwestern 

Hawaiian Islands regularly fly back and forth 

to the Olympic Coast and Northern California 

national marine sanctuaries to find food for 

their chicks.

The great currents shaping ocean life recognize 

no man-made boundaries. No one sanctuary can 

shelter these wide-ranging ocean wanderers. 

The lines of our sanctuaries can only mark their 

passage. But taken together, the influence and 

protection of our sanctuaries extend far beyond 

their physical boundaries. 

Each sanctuary is distinct from the other, but 

they’re all part of a larger system connected 

by wind and water. And as part of this greater 

system, our national marine sanctuaries help 

protect not just individual places, but the entire 

fabric of ocean life along the West Coast. 

This satellite image captures the sea surface temperature 

(SST) of the Pacific Ocean along the Monterey Bay 

coastline on October 17, 2005. The blue color represents 

colder water, which demonstrates the currents 

and upwelling of nutrients. This image is a rare example 

of a cloudless day when the satellite was overhead. 

Special thanks to John Ryan of the Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Research Institute for use of this image. 

E 
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast •  OUR NATIONAL OUR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES MARINE SANCTUARIES

45 ̊0’0”N

125 ̊0’0”W 120 ̊0’0”W 130 ̊0’0”W

The mission of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is to conserve, protect and enhance the biodiversity, ecological integrity and cultural legacy of our nation’s system of marine protected areas.To protect any one sanctuary, we must also look beyond its boundaries to the larger ecosystems of which it is an integral part. Our sanctuaries are connected to one another and to the ocean beyond by winds and currents, and the great migrations of birds, fish and marine mammals. Only by managing each national marine sanctuary with an understanding of the vital role it plays in the life of the others can we ensure the health of the ocean, and our planet, as a whole.Even with the best management, sanctuaries alone can’t ensure the long-term health of our ocean. Just as the ocean affects our daily lives, our daily actions affect the health of the ocean. No matter where we live, each of us can become an ocean steward by making choices 

of the West Coast

National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

Seastars. Photo: Steve Lonhart for NOAA/MBNMS

California Sheephead. Photo: Jim Knowlton 

From seashore to seafloor, 

from muddy estuaries 

to clear, blue waters, 

our national marine 

sanctuaries encompass 

many habitats. Each 

habitat is home to its own 

distinctive community of 

plants, algae and animals 

ideally suited to meet the 

challenges and reap the 

rewards of living there. 

On the West Coast, many 

habitats connect our 

sanctuaries to each other.

Sandy Beaches

Many visitors know national marine 

sanctuaries first by their sandy 

beaches. Some stretch in long 

crescents, others lie in small pockets 

at the mouths of streams or between 

rocky outcrops.

At first glance, beaches appear 

barren: a world of sand and restless 

waves broken only by gulls wheeling 

overhead. But look more closely and 

you’ll see shorebirds—sandpipers, 

willets, godwits, plovers and 

others—scurrying along at the water’s 

edge. Their presence gives proof to 

buried treasures as they pick and 

probe through sand and beach wrack 

in search of worms, clams, crabs 

and tiny shrimp-like amphipods. 

In this rough-and-tumble world of 

crashing waves and scouring sand, 

animals survive by burrowing in or 

flying away. All of the West Coast 

sanctuaries, except Cordell Bank, 

which lies entirely offshore, protect 

large stretches of sandy beach habitat. 

Rocky Shores

Rocky coastlines are worlds of 

extremes and dramatic beauty. 

They’re also places of amazing 

diversity and abundance, where plants 

and animals fight for space on the 

rocks. Life here moves to the rhythm 

of the tides. When the tide is out, 

sea creatures face hours of exposure 

to baking sun and drying wind. The 

returning tide brings with it both 

pounding waves and a host of hungry 

fishes and other predators moving up 

from deeper waters below. 

Creatures able to meet these 

challenges reap great rewards. The 

rocks provide firm footing and hiding 

places where they can hold their own. 

And each returning tide brings a fresh 

feast of planktonic food from the sea. 

The tides also bring new generations 

to the shores. Many marine alga 

species and animals cast their spores 

and eggs into the water. They drift on 

the currents, sometimes far offshore, 

until the currents carry them back 

to settle on the rocks, starting the 

cycle anew. 

Estuaries and Sloughs

These wetlands play vital roles in the 

ecology of our coastal waters and in 

the lives of many marine animals. 

Their quiet waters, sheltered from 

the crash of ocean waves, serve as 

nurseries, sheltering the young of 

flounders, rays, sharks and other 

fishes. An abundance of plankton 

nourishes dense beds of oysters as 

well as sardines, anchovies and other 

coastal fishes. Clams and worms 

burrow into the thick mud. The 

abundance of food attracts hundreds 

of species of birds. Some nest here, 

others stop to rest and eat in the 

middle of long migrations; many find 

winter refuge in these rich, protected 

waters.

In spite of their importance, estuaries 

and sloughs are the most endangered 

habitats in our sanctuaries. Where 

many estuaries, sloughs and 

freshwater marshes once lined the 

coast, less than 10 percent remain 

today. Most have been drained 

and filled to make way for houses, 

agriculture and commerce. Three of 

our sanctuaries—Olympic Coast, 

Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey 

Bay—protect some of the largest and 

most significant of those remaining.

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

Marbled Godwits. Photo: Peggy Hansen Rocky Intertidal. Photo: Coke Smith Wetlands. Photo: Dan Howard/NOAA
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 10

E WEST COAST

Kelp Forests

Habitats Habitats

Deep Sea

Out from the tide pools, on the rocky 

seafloor in water depths typically 20 

to over 100 feet, lies the cathedrals of 

the kelp forests. Giant kelp, covered 

with fronds from seafloor to surface, 

define the underwater forests of the 

Channel Islands and Monterey Bay 

sanctuaries. Bull kelp, with a bare 

stipe (stem) topped by a whiplike 

tangle of fronds, takes over in our 

northern sanctuaries. Both are among 

the most productive and fastestgrowing plants in the world.

From the surface, the brown, tangled 

mats of fronds are all that can be 

seen. Below lies a rich, multi-layered 

world. The towering groves provide 

shelter, food and living space for 

thriving marine communities. A 

single kelp holdfast can be home to 

a thousand species, from tiny algae 

to giant kelpfish. And their influence 

extends far beyond their boundaries: 

from microscopic plankton to sharks 

and whales, countless millions more 

drift or swim through these swaying 

undersea forests.

Sandy Seafloor

Much of the seafloor in our 

sanctuaries is covered with sand or 

mud. Unlike in rocky areas, giant 

kelp can’t take hold, so the sands lie 

open and bare. With no firm footing 

and no place to hide, life here lies 

low. Anemones, clams, worms, sand 

dollars and brittle stars burrow into 

the sand. Safely hidden, they expose 

only their feeding tentacles, arms 

and breathing siphons into the water 

above. Shrimps and crabs try to blend 

in as they scuttle across the sands 

searching for food. Flounders and 

skates lie perfectly camouflaged as 

they wait for a meal. More active 

fishes, like surfperch, spiny dogfish 

and salmon come and go above the 

shifting sediments. 

Open Ocean

Far out from land, the coastal waters 

gradually merge with the California 

Current and the open ocean. This 

fluid world changes moment to 

moment. One patch of water may 

appear clear and barren of life while 

nearby another teems with plankton, 

schools of fishes, pods of feeding 

whales and flocks of seabirds. Thus, 

the open ocean, the largest habitat on 

earth, is also very dynamic.

Generally spring and summer are 

times of abundance as cold, nutrientrich water wells up to the sunlit 

surface, fueling dense blooms of 

microscopic plants—phytoplankton—

that color the water a murky 

brownish-green. These blooms spur 

an explosive growth of swarms of tiny 

drifting animals called zooplankton. 

Great whales and schools of herring, 

sardines and anchovy feast in the 

pastures of plankton. The multitudes 

of small fish in turn draw larger 

predators. Pods of dolphins, sharks, 

seals, seabirds and people all come to 

hunt in these open waters. 

In places along our sanctuaries, 

submarine canyons cut into the 

continental shelf, bringing fingers 

of the deep sea closer to shore. The 

largest, Monterey Canyon, 60 miles 

long and one mile deep rivals the 

Grand Canyon in size.

Darkness and a scarcity of food, 

along with bitter cold and immense 

pressure, define the deep. Sunlight 

fades quickly underwater; around 

300 feet below the surface, there’s 

no longer enough light for plant 

plankton to grow. In this dark 

world, animals rely solely on 

what can be scavenged from the 

productive surface waters. Still, the 

deep shelters delicate creatures in 

a diversity—if not abundance—

rivaling the crowded tide pools and 

kelp forests.

The open midwaters of the deep sea 

are home to anglerfishes crowned 

with glow-in-the-dark lures and 

viperfish, their gaping mouths 

filled with long fangs. Intricate 

glass sponges and deep sea corals 

grow attached to the seafloor 

and the rocky walls of undersea 

canyons. Solitary and stationary, 

they patiently filter tiny bits of food 

carried past them on the currents.

E WEST COAST

Harbor Seal in Kelp. Photo: Peggy Hansen Angel Shark. Photo: Scott Roush Jelly. Photo: Steve Fisher Squid. Photo: Jamie Hall
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 11

Invertebrates

Invertebrates—animals without 

backbones—make up the overwhelming 

majority of animal life in our 

sanctuaries and throughout the ocean. 

“Invertebrate” is a broad term, 

encompassing a dizzying variety of 

different species, including everything 

from sea anemones and sponges, to 

crabs and shrimps, worms, snails, 

clams, octopuses, sea stars and many 

others. Many thousands of species live 

in our sanctuaries. 

Tide pools are the best places to look 

for invertebrates, as nearly every square 

inch is covered with life. Limpets, 

periwinkles and other snails cling to 

life on rocks exposed at low tide. Ochre 

sea stars, in shades of yellowish-brown, 

purple and orange, are commonly seen 

intertidal predators. Little hermit crabs 

clamber among rocks and seaweed in 

the pools as they scavenge for bits of 

food. You may catch a glimpse of a 

purple shore crab peeking from beneath 

a rock, or a green sea anemone, with its 

flowery crown of tentacles, anchored 

among the sand and rocks in deeper 

pools.

Clumps of California mussels crowd 

wave-swept rocks, often growing so 

closely together that they keep other 

animals and plants from gaining a 

foothold. Where there’s space, tiny 

barnacles—relatives of crabs and 

shrimp—live inside little volcanoshaped shells cemented to the rocks. 

Seastars. Photo: Joe Heath

Seaweeds

Walk along the rocky shores of any of our 

sanctuaries and you’ll see lush gardens of 

seaweeds—mostly brown, red and green 

algae. They grow from the most exposed 

tide pools to the seafloor a hundred or 

more feet deep. These algae cling tightly 

to rocks or the seafloor with rootlike 

structures called holdfasts, without which 

they’d be swept away with the currents.

While these are the algae we can see, 

they’re far from the only plantlike beings 

here. The open waters are home to groups 

of tiny photosynthetic organisms that 

survive by being small enough to stay 

afloat near the sunlit surface. While 

tiny, they occur in almost unimaginable 

numbers, especially in spring and summer 

when they turn the water murky with their 

abundance, and they play a central role in 

the overall richness of life here.

Brown rockweeds are among the most 

commonly seen seaweeds carpeting the 

intertidal rocks all along the Pacific Coast. 

Filmy, bright green clumps that resemble 

watery heads of leaf lettuce are the aptly 

named sea lettuce. Coralline algae grow in 

little, crusty, branching thickets or as red 

or pinkish crusts on the surface of rocks. 

Feather boa kelp—named for its long, 

narrow fronds—grows among tangles of 

seaweeds of wave-swept rocks. Away from 

the tide pools, forests of bull and giant 

kelp grow in deeper waters just offshore 

bathed by the currents. 

 Kelp. Photo: Susan Lang 

Marine Mammals

The waters of our five national marine 

sanctuaries along the West Coast are 

home to more than 36 species of marine 

mammals, including whales, dolphins, 

seals, sea lions and sea otters. Some, 

like sea otters, seals and sea lions can be 

easily seen from shore. Others, like blue 

and humpback whales, stick to offshore 

waters, where upwelling along the edge 

of the Continental Shelf creates rich 

feeding grounds. While some live in the 

sanctuaries year-round, many appear here 

seasonally. 

Harbor seals and California sea lions are 

among the most common and familiar 

marine mammals along the Pacific 

Coast. They can often be seen hauled 

out on rocks or swimming in the waters 

just offshore. Sea otters can be seen 

swimming among the tangled floating 

fronds of giant kelp. 

Whales and dolphins swim further 

offshore, but can often be spotted by their 

spouts or seen from boats. Twice each 

year, in late fall and early spring, more 

than 20,000 gray whales pass through the 

waters of our sanctuaries as they migrate 

between their feeding grounds in Alaska 

to their calving areas off Baja, California. 

They’re commonly seen from vantage 

points along the shores. Blue whales are 

rarer, but in summer and fall they feed 

on dense swarms of plankton in the open 

waters of our national marine sanctuaries 

along the California coast. Orcas 

(sometimes called “killer whales”) are 

large dolphins. They’re most commonly 

seen off the Olympic Coast, but some 

travel down the coast to California as they 

prey on fishes, squid, seals and whales.

 Pinnipeds. Photo: Roger Conrad 

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

White-sided Dolphin. Photo: Cornelia Oedekoven

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

Pigeon Guillemot. 

Photo: Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

Our five West Coast 

national marine sanctuaries 

encompass some of the richest 

and most diverse marine 

communities anywhere in the 

world. A single walk along 

one of our beaches, a trip to a 

rocky tide pool, or a journey 

by boat out to offshore waters 

can reveal dozens or hundreds 

of different marine plants and 

animals. And it would take a 

lifetime of exploration to even 

begin to know them all. 

Many excellent field guides 

are available to help you 

identify the wildlife you’ll 

encounter in our sanctuaries. 

Visitor centers or local 

bookstores often have a good 

selection of guidebooks.
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 12

Marine Wildlife Viewing Guidelines

These guidelines are intended to help you enjoy watching marine wildlife without 

causing them harm or placing your personal safety at risk. Please note that 

these are general guidelines and it is best to follow location or species-specific 

guidelines if they are available. For more information visit, 

http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/protect/oceanetiquette.html

Learn before you go. Many marine wildlife species have 

specific habitat needs and sensitive lifecycle requirements. Use the 

Internet, guidebooks and knowledgeable people to learn more about 

wildlife that can be found in the place you are visiting.

Keep your distance. Getting too close to animals can be harmful 

to them and to you. Take precaution and use equipment such as 

binoculars that let you view animals from a distance where they won’t 

be disturbed.

Hands off. Touching wildlife, or attempting to do so, can injure the 

animal, put you at risk and is illegal for most protected species.

Do not feed or attract marine wildlife. Feeding or 

attempting to attract wildlife may harm animals by causing sickness, 

death and habituation to people. Animals that are accustomed to 

humans become vulnerable to injuries and can be dangerous to people.

Never chase or harass wildlife. Mind your proximity and 

approach patterns. Never surround, trap or separate animals, approach 

them head on, or approach them directly from behind. 

Stay away from wildlife that appears abandoned or 

sick. Animals that appear sick may not be. They may just be resting or 

are young awaiting the return of a parent. If animals are approached, 

their behavior may become aggressive. If you think an animal is sick 

or injured, contact local authorities.

Wildlife and pets don’t mix. Wild animals can injure and 

spread diseases to pets, and pets can harm and disturb wildlife. If 

you are traveling with pets, keep them leashed and away from marine 

wildlife.

Lend a hand with trash removal. Human garbage and 

fishing debris are some of the greatest threats to marine wildlife. 

Carry a trash bag with you and pick up litter found along the shore.

Help others to become responsible wildlife watchers 

and tour operators. Lead by example. It’s up to you! Obtain 

and carry a few copies of the Marine Wildlife Viewing Guidelines 

on your travels and share them with others. Patronize businesses 

that follow these guidelines. Protecting and conserving wildlife is 

everyone’s responsibility.

marinelife.noaa.gov

To learn more, visit

Birds 

Birds can be seen in abundance in all our 

sanctuaries. At least a hundred or more 

species—including seabirds, shorebirds, 

wading birds, waterfowl and others—live 

in, or pass through sanctuary waters. 

The Pacific Coast lies along the Pacific 

Flyway, a major migration route for birds 

as they fly to and from summer feeding 

areas as far north as the Bering Sea and 

wintering grounds here or further south. 

And the waters of our sanctuaries, rich in 

food, nesting and resting areas, provides 

habitat critical to their continued survival.

Nine or more species of gulls live along 

the Pacific Coast, with Western Gulls one 

of the largest and most commonly seen 

species. California Brown Pelicans can be 

seen year-round in the Channel Islands, 

where they nest. In summer, they migrate 

in large numbers to central California, 

with some wandering as far north as the 

Olympic peninsula. Three species of 

cormorants—Pelagic, Double-Crested 

and Brandt’s—live along the coasts of 

our sanctuaries. They all lead similar 

lifestyles, nesting on islands, rocks or 

cliffs and diving underwater to hunt fish. 

About 20 species of sandpipers can be 

seen on sandy beaches along the Pacific 

Coast. Birders sometimes refer to this 

group collectively as “peeps” for the 

plaintive peeping and piping calls they 

make as they scurry in small flocks at 

the edge of the waves. Seabirds frequent 

offshore waters. Some, such as Sooty 

Shearwaters, come ashore only to nest. 

In summer, you may see them in flocks 

of hundreds of thousands of birds flying 

low over the water in long, narrow lines 

stretching for a mile or more.

Western Gull Chick. Photo: Chuck Graham 

Fishes

From two-inch-long gobies to 20-footlong white sharks, more than 500 species 

of fish live in the waters of our national 

marine sanctuaries along the West Coast. 

Though most are hard to see without 

venturing underwater with scuba gear, 

they can be found here everywhere from 

wave-splashed tide pools to the bottom 

of deep-sea canyons. Some spend their 

entire lives in a single set of tide pools. 

Others, such as salmon and tuna, travel 

far and wide up and down the coast or 

even across the Pacific Ocean to Japan 

and back. 

Tide pools are home to dozens of kinds 

of small fishes including sculpins, 

blennies, gunnels and clingfish, which 

are often collectively called “tide pool 

johnnies.” A good-sized tide pool may 

have dozens of these fishes, but you’ll 

have to look closely to see them; most are 

well camouflaged with mottled colors and 

patterns blending in perfectly with their 

surroundings.

Most fishes live in more open waters. 

Rockfish are the largest group of fishes 

along the West Coast. More than 60 

species live along the Pacific Coast. Many 

are sought after by sport and commercial 

fishermen. Salmon are most common 

in the Olympic Coast National Marine 

Sanctuary where five species—chinook, 

sockeye, pink, chum and coho—feed 

in offshore waters and enter freshwater 

streams to spawn.

White sharks are generally quite rare and 

rarely seen, but in late summer and early 

fall they do gather off the seal and sea 

lion rookeries on the Farallon Islands. 

Garibaldi. Photo: Laurie C Van De Werfhorst 

E WEST COAST

Wildlife Wildlife 

E WEST COAST

to view hundreds of photos and videos of the diverse marine life 

found in our national marine sanctuaries.
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 13

First People

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

Petroglyph at Wedding Rock. Photo: Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

All along the Pacific Coast, native people have drawn from the ocean’s bounty. 

They have made their living as hunters, gatherers and fishers, made jewelry and 

ornaments from shells, and traded up and down the coast. 

They lived here for many thousands of years before the arrival of 

Europeans to the Pacific Coast. The newcomers exploited native tribes for labor 

and resources, introduced diseases that decimated entire tribes and sought to 

stamp out ages-old cultural traditions. But native peoples, though fewer in 

number, still survive up and down the Pacific Coast. Many still carry on native 

traditions, and some tribes still stand as sovereign nations in their ancestral 

lands. 

Their ancestors lived along the Olympic Coast for at least 6,000 years. The 

sea was central to their cultures from the food they ate to the art they produced. 

These people were intimately attuned to the tides, currents and seasons. They 

hunted seals and whales, gathered crabs and mussels, fished for halibut, salmon 

and lingcod and gathered kelp to eat and to use for medicine.

Four tribes—the Makah, Hoh, Quileute and Quinalt—still live on the 

Olympic Coast as sovereign nations. Today, they hold to their traditional 

culture while serving as managers of the natural resources on their lands. 

The sanctuary supports them in their cultural revival and helps protect their 

cultural legacy. Olympic Coast sanctuary staff supported a canoe journey made 

by all tribes along the length of the coast, allowing a new generation of the 

ocean-going peoples to experience the traditions of their ancestors. Working 

with others under the supervision of the Makah, the sanctuary is involved in 

archeological studies of village and midden or refuse sites on their land.

The Coast Miwok, the first peoples near San Francisco, are part of the 

cultural heritage of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. 

Living in village communities, they built a strong culture based around fishing 

and gathering and hunting on land and sea. The ocean provided crabs, abalone, 

oysters and fish. They made flat beads from clam shells, which were strung 

together and used for trade throughout much of Northern California.

While much of their culture has been lost, they regained federal recognition 

as a tribe in 2002 and there are some 500 Coast Miwok tribal members today. 

Like other native people along the Pacific Coast, the Ohlone of California’s 

central coast drew their living from both land and water for 10,000 years or 

more. The Monterey Bay area provided acorns for food, and willows and other 

Guy Capoeman, Quinault Nation. Photo: Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Steven Villa, Barbareno Chumash/Diegeno Tomolero 

(paddler) of a Chumash Plank Canoe. 

Photo: Robert Schwemmer/NOAA

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE W

plants for basket making. The sea 

supplied fish, birds, sea lions and 

other marine mammals and many 

kinds of shellfish. 

Despite the devastation of their 

culture and the loss of their lands, 

there are still some 500 Ohlone today, 

most living in their ancestral area. 

Though few in number, they continue 

to thrive as a tribe and still carry on 

native traditions.

Native peoples have a long history 

on the Channel Islands. Daisy Cave 

on San Miguel Island is the site of the 

oldest known coastal shell midden 

in North America. This rock shelter 

was occupied by a series of native 

peoples over the course of more than 

10,000 years. A sample of bone from 

the remains of “Arlington Springs 

Woman,” recovered from Santa Rosa 

Island, dates back to 13,000 years 

ago, making her the earliest-known 

human in North America.

The Chumash, who lived on the 

four northern islands and on the 

mainland, were skilled in making 

their living from the sea. They built 

unique plank canoes, called tomols, 

to fish and collect abalone around 

the islands, and to trade with peoples 

on the mainland. And as integral 

members of an extensive system 

of trade among various tribes, they 

collected the shells of Olivella snails, 

which they used as currency. 

Like other native peoples the 

Chumash suffered with the coming of 

Europeans and others to their lands. 

But there are still many people who 

can trace their ancestry back to these 

historic Chumash communities. They 

survived on the strength of their 

connection with their heritage to the 

islands, and today they’re working to 

keep that heritage strong and vital. 

The sanctuary recently partnered with 

the Chumash community to build 

the tomol ‘Elye’wun (Swordfish) 

under the leadership of the Chumash 

Maritime Association. The tomol 

and its paddlers made an historic 

journey from the mainland to Santa 

Cruz Island (Limuw)—the first such 

crossing in over 125 years. 
National Marine Sanctuaries of the West Coast • 14

Shipwrecks

E WEST COAST

Culture Culture 

E WEST COAST

Our national marine sanctuaries on the West Coast share a long and diverse 

maritime history. And they hold remnants of that history in the hundreds 

of ships that lie wrecked in their waters. These historic maritime heritage 

resources preserve a seafaring legacy dating back to early explorers, traders, 

whalers, fishermen and immigrants who have traveled this coast since the mid1500s. 

Fierce storms and a rocky shoreline have combined to make the Olympic 

Coast a graveyard for ships. Historic records reveal that more than 200 

shipwrecks have been documented in Olympic Coast National Marine 

Sanctuary. Many simply disappeared, their epithet written by the lighthouse 

keeper at Tatoosh: “Last sighted, Cape Flattery.” 

Cordell Bank was discovered by accident in 1853 when hydrographer 

George Davidson was returning to San Francisco from a mapping expedition 

in northern California. In 1869, Edward Cordell, of the U.S. Coast Survey, 

officially surveyed the area that now bears his name. No one knows for sure 

if any shipwrecks occupy the seafloor of the Cordell Bank National Marine 

Sanctuary. The sanctuary’s deep waters and distance from shore make it less 

likely for ships to run aground. 

Powerful storms, thick fog and strong currents have claimed nearly 200 

ships in the waters of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The 

earliest recorded shipwreck was the Spanish Manila galleon San Agustin, 

which sank in a gale while anchored in Drake’s Bay in 1595. 

More recently, the C-3 freighter Jacob Luckenbach went down 17 miles 

off the Golden Gate in 1953 after colliding with the steamship Hawaiian 

Pilot. Over the next few decades it was the source of a number of “mystery” 

oil spills. The NOAA Maritime Heritage Program determined through 

historical research that the ship was a likely source of the oil discharges. Those 

suspicions were confirmed through the combined efforts of the local sport 

diving community, who investigated the site, and the sanctuary’s BeachWatch 

volunteer monitoring program. In 2002, the sanctuary, working with the U.S. 

Coast Guard and other agencies, took part in an effort to pump approximately 

100,000 gallons of oil from the wreck’s deep bunker tanks, ending the mystery 

oil spills. 

Monterey Bay and the surrounding coast were long a center of trade and a 

base for fishing and whaling. Being the largest sanctuary along the West Coast, 

Lumber Schooner Comet Shipwrecked at San Miguel Island in 1911. Photo: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

nearly 400 ships have been recorded 

lost in the region. One tragic event 

occurred in 1929 when an oil tanker 

S.C.T. Dodd rammed the passenger 

steamer San Juan off Pigeon Point, 

sending 73 passengers and crewmen 

to their deaths. 

The submerged remains of 

the rigid airship USS Macon and 

four Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawks

aircraft lie off Point Sur, California. 

The site was first recorded in the 

1990s by the U.S. Navy, working in 

partnership with the Monterey Bay 

Aquarium Research Institute. In

2006, the sanctuary led an expedition 

to conduct the first archaeological 

survey resulting in listing the site on

the National Register of Historic Places.

More than 140 historic ships and 

military aircraft have been lost at the 

Channel Islands. Each has a story to 

tell about the history, technology and 

society of earlier times. 

One of the oldest documented 

wrecks is the Winfield Scott, a sidewheel passenger steamship that 

operated during the California Gold 

Rush. With over 500 passengers 

heading to Panama from San 

Francisco, and a load of gold bullion 

and mail the ship grounded in dense 

fog on Anacapa Island in 1853. All 

passengers were rescued after being 

stranded on Anacapa Island for about 

a week before boarding the steamer 

California to continue their journey to 

Panama. 

Today, NOAA, Channel Islands 

National Park and the Coastal 

Maritime Archaeology Resources 

group record the archaeological 

remains of the maritime heritage 

sites on and around the Channel 

Islands. Exhibits featuring some of 

the shipwrecks in the sanctuary are on 

display at the Santa Barbara Maritime 

Museum. 

Underwater Shipwreck and Diver. 

Photo: Robert Schwemmer/NOAA
Things You Can Do to Help Protect Our Ocean and Our Planet

Practice Daily Conservation: We can help protect our watersheds and ocean with these 

simple, everyday activities:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Use natural organic alternatives to fertilizers and pesticides on lawns and gardens

• Be mindful of your own environment. Keep litter, used motor oil, antifreeze, toxic 

chemicals, pesticides and debris out of drains, and conserve water

• Learn about sustainable seafood and choose wisely to support local, sustainable fisheries

• Properly dispose or pick-up trash that could entangle wildlife

NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES OF THE WEST COAST

Underwater Diving. Photo: Scott Roush Conservation Conservation

Volunteer: Each sanctuary has opportunities 

for volunteers who do everything from helping out 

at visitor centers to monitoring wildlife washed up 

on beaches.

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

The Channel Islands Naturalist Corps is a group of 

specially trained volunteer ocean stewards dedicated 

to educating passengers on board whale watching 

vessels. 

Email channelislands@noaa.gov • Phone (805) 966-7107

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Learn more about volunteer opportunities. 

Email cordellbank@noaa.gov • Phone (415) 663-1397

Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

Be a Sanctuary Ambassador or become a Beach 

Watch volunteer. Opportunities to be a sanctuary 

educator at the visitor center or in school outreach 

programs are also available. 

Email farallones@noaa.gov • Phone (415) 561-6622

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Volunteer as a Team OCEAN kayak naturalist. Join 

Beach COMBERS, become a member of the 

Email montereybay@noaa.gov • Phone (831) 647-4201

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Volunteer at the Olympic Coast Discovery Center in 

Port Angeles or participate in the Coastal Observation 

and Seabird Survey Team. 

Email olympiccoast@noaa.gov • Phone (360) 457-6622

All sanctuaries have advisory councils, which are 

comprised of volunteers from different constituencies 

who meet quarterly to advise management issues. 

Email sanctuary.education@noaa.gov

Support Sanctuary Associations: Some sanctuaries have nonprofit associations 

supporting conservation and education activities in these underwater treasures. 

Visit these websites for more information:

• National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: nmsfocean.org 

• Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association: farallones.org

• Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation: mbnmsf.org 

• Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation: cordellfoundation.org

Sea Lion Rookery on San Miguel Island. Photo: Roger Conrad 

Debra Herring, member of the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps. Photo: Claire Johnson/NOAA

Sanctuary Citizen Watershed Monitoring Network 

or a Coastal Discovery Center docent.