I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1187 
To expand the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 16, 2007 
Ms. WOOLSEY (for herself and Mr. GILCHREST) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To expand the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones 
National Marine Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank Na-
tional Marine Sanctuary. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gulf of the Farallones 
and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary 
Modification and Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Gulf of the Farallones extends approxi-
mately 100 miles along the coast of Marin and 
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Sonoma counties of northern California. It includes 
approximately 
one-half 
of 
California’s 
nesting 
seabirds, rich benthic marine life on hard-rock sub-
strate, prolific fisheries, and substantial concentra-
tions of resident and seasonally migratory marine 
mammals. 
(2) Cordell Bank is adjacent to the Gulf of the 
Farallones and is a submerged island with spectac-
ular, unique, and nationally significant marine envi-
ronments. 
(3) These marine environments have national 
and international significance, exceed the biological 
productivity of tropical rain forests, and support 
high levels of biological diversity. 
(4) These biological communities are easily sus-
ceptible to damage from human activities, and must 
be properly conserved for themselves and to protect 
the economic viability of their contribution to na-
tional and regional economies. 
(5) The Gulf of Farallones and Cordell Bank 
include some of the Nation’s richest fishing grounds, 
supporting important commercial and recreational 
fisheries. These fisheries are regulated by State and 
Federal fishery agencies and are supported and fos-
tered through protection of the waters and habitats 
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of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary 
and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 
(6) The report of the Commission on Ocean 
Policy established by Public Law 106–256 calls for 
comprehensive protection for the most productive 
ocean environments and recommends that they be 
managed as ecosystems. 
(7) New scientific discoveries by the National 
Marine Sanctuary Program support comprehensive 
protection for these marine environments by broad-
ening the geographic scope of the existing Gulf of 
the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the 
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 
(8) Cordell Bank is at the nexus of an ocean 
upwelling system, which produces the highest bio-
mass concentrations on the west coast of the United 
States. 
SEC. 3. POLICY AND PURPOSE. 
(a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States in 
this Act to protect and preserve living and other resources 
of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank marine 
environments. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this Act are the fol-
lowing: 
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(1) To extend the boundaries of the Gulf of the 
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the 
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary to the 
areas described in section 5. 
(2) To strengthen the protections that apply in 
the Sanctuaries. 
(3) To educate and interpret for the public re-
garding those marine environments. 
(4) To manage human uses of the Sanctuaries 
under this Act and the National Marine Sanctuaries 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.). 
(c) EFFECT ON FISHING ACTIVITIES.—Nothing in 
this Act is intended to alter any existing authorities re-
garding the conduct and location of fishing activities in 
the Sanctuaries. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AQUACULTURE.—The term ‘‘aquaculture’’ 
means the propagation or rearing of aquatic orga-
nisms in controlled or selected aquatic environments 
for any commercial, recreational, or public purpose. 
(2) CORDELL BANK NMS.—The term ‘‘Cordell 
Bank NMS’’ means the Cordell Bank National Ma-
rine Sanctuary. 
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(3) FARALLONES NMS.—The term ‘‘Farallones 
NMS’’ means the Gulf of the Farallones National 
Marine Sanctuary. 
(4) SANCTUARIES.—The term ‘‘Sanctuaries’’ 
means the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank National Marine 
Sanctuary, as expanded by section 5. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Commerce. 
(6) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means— 
(A) any private or public individual, cor-
poration, partnership, trust, institution, associa-
tion, or other entity, whether foreign or domes-
tic; or 
(B) any officer, employee, agent, depart-
ment, agency, or instrumentality of— 
(i) the Federal Government; 
(ii) any State, tribal, or local unit of 
government; or 
(iii) any foreign government. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY BOUNDARY AD-
JUSTMENTS. 
(a) GULF OF THE FARALLONES.— 
(1) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT.—The areas de-
scribed in paragraph (2) are added to the existing 
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Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary 
described in part 922.80 of title 15, Code of Federal 
Regulations. 
(2) AREAS INCLUDED.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The areas referred to 
in paragraph (1) consist of the following: 
(i) All submerged lands and waters, 
including living marine and other resources 
within and on those lands and waters, 
from the mean high water line to the 
boundary described in subparagraph (B). 
(ii) The submerged lands and waters, 
including living marine and other resources 
within those waters, within the approxi-
mately two-square-nautical-mile portion of 
the Cordell Bank NMS (as in effect imme-
diately before the enactment of this Act) 
that is located south of the area that is 
added to Cordell Bank NMS by subsection 
(b)(2), which are transferred to the 
Farallones NMS from the Cordell Bank 
NMS. 
(B) BOUNDARY DESCRIBED.—The bound-
ary referred to in subparagraph (A)(i) com-
mences from the mean high water line 
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(MHWL) at 39.00000 degrees north in a west-
ward direction approximately 29 nautical miles 
(nm) to 39.00000 north, 124.33333 west. The 
boundary then extends in a southeasterly direc-
tion to 38.30000 degrees north, 124.00000 de-
grees west, approximately 44 nm westward of 
Bodega Head. The boundary then extends east-
ward to the most northeastern corner of the ex-
panded Cordell Bank NMS at 38.30000 north, 
123.20000 degrees west, approximately 6 nm 
miles westward of Bodega Head. The boundary 
then extends in a southeasterly direction to 
38.26500 degrees north, 123.18166 degrees 
west at the northwestern most point of the cur-
rent Gulf of the Farallones Boundary. The 
boundary then follows the current northern 
Gulf of the Farallones NMS boundary in a 
northeasterly direction to the MHWL near 
Bodega Head. The boundary then follows the 
MHWL in a northeasterly direction to the com-
mencement point at the intersection of the 
MHWL and 39.00000 north. Coordinates listed 
in this subparagraph are based on the North 
American Datum 1983 and the geographic pro-
jection. 
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(b) CORDELL BANK.— 
(1) BOUNDARY
ADJUSTMENT.—The area de-
scribed in paragraph (2) is added to the existing 
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary described 
in part 922.80 of title 15, Code of Federal Regula-
tions. 
(2) AREA INCLUDED.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The area referred to in 
paragraph (1) consists of all submerged lands 
and waters, including living marine and other 
resources within those waters, within the 
boundary described in subparagraph (B). 
(B) BOUNDARY.—The boundary referred 
to in subparagraph (A) commences at the most 
northeastern point of the current Cordell Bank 
NMS boundary at 38.26500 degrees north, 
123.18166 
degrees 
west 
and 
extends 
northwestward to 38.30000 degrees north, 
123.20000 degrees west, approximately 6 nau-
tical miles (nm) west of Bodega Head. The 
boundary then extends westward to 38.30000 
degrees north, 123.66666 degrees west, ap-
proximately 28 nautical miles west of Bodega 
Head. The boundary then turns southward and 
continues approximately 32 nautical miles to 
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37.83333 degrees north, 123.66666 degrees 
west, and then approximately 11 nm eastward 
to 37.83333 north, 123.42333 west at an inter-
section with the current Gulf of the Farallones 
NMS boundary. The boundary then follows the 
current Cordell Bank NMS, which is cotermi-
nous with the current Gulf of the Farallones 
boundary, in a northeasterly and the northwest-
erly direction to its commencement point at 
38.26500 degrees north, 123.18166 degrees 
west. Coordinates listed in this subparagraph 
are based on NAD83 Datum and the geo-
graphic projection. 
(c) INCLUSION IN THE SYSTEM.—The areas included 
in the Sanctuaries under subsections (a) and (b) shall be 
managed as part of the National Marine Sanctuary Sys-
tem, established by section 301(c) of the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431(c)), in accordance with 
that Act. 
(d) UPDATED
NOAA CHARTS.—The Secretary 
shall— 
(1) produce updated National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration charts for the areas in 
which are located the Farallones NMS and Cordell 
Bank NMS; and 
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(2) include on those charts the boundaries of 
such national marine sanctuaries, as revised by this 
Act. 
(e) BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS.—In producing re-
vised charts as directed by subsection (d) of this section 
and in describing the boundaries in regulations issued by 
the Secretary, the Secretary may make technical modifica-
tions to the boundaries described in this section for clarity 
and ease of identification, as appropriate. 
SEC. 6. PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN USES. 
(a) MINERAL AND HYDROCARBON LEASING, EXPLO-
RATION, DEVELOPMENT, AND PRODUCTION.—No leasing, 
exploration, development, production, or transporting by 
pipeline of minerals or hydrocarbons shall be permitted 
within the Sanctuaries. 
(b) AQUACULTURE.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—It is unlawful for any per-
son to conduct aquaculture— 
(A) in any area of the Sanctuaries; or 
(B) within Monterey Bay National Marine 
Sanctuary. 
(2) EXISTING BIVALVE FARMING ALLOWED.— 
The prohibition in paragraph (1) shall not apply to 
persons and their successors conducting bivalve 
farming operations that are in existence on the date 
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of enactment of this Act, and shall not apply to their 
successors in such operations. 
(3) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue 
regulations that specify the operations referred to in 
paragraph (2). 
(c) DISCHARGE OF MATERIALS AND SUBSTANCES.— 
(1) PROHIBITIONS.—It is unlawful for any per-
son— 
(A) to deposit or discharge any material or 
substance of any kind within the Sanctuaries; 
(B) to deposit or discharge any material or 
substance of any kind that enters and injures 
any sanctuary resource (as that term is defined 
in the National Marine Sanctuaries Act); or 
(C) to deposit or discharge any introduced 
species in the Sanctuaries. 
(2) CHANGES IN SALINITY.—No person shall 
cause a change of salinity in the Sanctuaries that in-
jures, causes the loss of, or destroys any sanctuary 
resource. 
(3) LIMITATION
ON
APPLICABILITY.—Para-
graph (1) does not apply with respect to any dis-
charge— 
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(A) of fish, fish parts, and chumming ma-
terials resulting from, and while conducting 
otherwise lawful, fishing activity; 
(B) of biodegradable effluents incidental to 
vessel use and generated by an operable Type 
I or II marine sanitation device (as classified by 
the Coast Guard) that is approved in accord-
ance with section 312 of the Federal Water Pol-
lution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1322) if all ma-
rine sanitation devices on the vessel are secured 
in a manner that prevents discharge of un-
treated sewage from a Type I or Type II Coast 
Guard-approved sanitation devices on the ves-
sel, except that this subparagraph does not 
apply with respect to a discharge from a cruise 
ship within the boundaries of either of the 
Sanctuaries; 
(C) of biodegradable material resulting 
from deck wash down from a vessel; 
(D) from vessel engine exhaust; or 
(E) that— 
(i) originates in the Russian River 
Watershed outside the boundaries of the 
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine 
Sanctuary; 
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