NOAA's Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries

Deadline extended till June 19! You can advise sanctuary management as a Sanctuary Advisory Council member! Check the link in bio for link to apply!

Photos: Anemone and coralline algae, Rob Cala
Sunset at Southeast Farallon Island, Lisa Etherinton/NOAA

First Live White Abalone Found in Five Years During Channel Islands Survey 🐚

A team of scientists and sanctuary staff conducting habitat surveys in NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary recently made an exciting discovery: a live white abalone, a federally endangered marine snail whose population has declined by an estimated 99% since the 1970s.

Read more about this rare sighting in our latest : https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/notes/2026/first-live-white-abalone-found-in-5-years-channel-islands-survey.html.

📸: Athena Maguire/CDFW

Its World Otter Day! While the Southern Sea Otter is a rare sighting in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary waters these days, its not rare to see a river otter in the estuaries and on the ocean side. River otters are amazingly adaptable and resilient and thrive throughout wild and developed landscapes and waterscapes. Populations had dwindled in the Greater Farallones region due to fur trapping, pollution, and wetland loss, but as communities worked together to add protections and regulations, river otters have returned!
Don't be fooled by those cute faces, they are ferocious!

More info: https://www.nps.gov/pore/learn/nature/otters.htm

📷 Carlos Porrata

nice swatch colors!

Happy Anniversary to Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary! 🐙🐟🪸🐋🐦

Cordell Bank is the centerpiece of the sanctuary, a bank that rises from the soft sediments on the edge of the continental shelf just 22 miles west of Point Reyes. The combination of ocean conditions and topography create a rich and diverse marine community around the bank. This supports all kinds of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, and incredible seabirds. Join us in celebrating your Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary with their !

Learn more about this incredible place: https://cordellbank.noaa.gov/.

All year long, we will be highlighting the 🎨 palettes from across your National Marine Sanctuary System as we celebrate the site's anniversaries. Stay tuned to catch all 18 s

Stay tuned in, follow NOAA's Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries !

📸: Rob Lee/BAUE

"Get involved with Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries! We are recruiting for the Sanctuary Advisory Councils. We are seeking volunteers for multiple seats to advise sanctuary management on coastal and ocean issues throughout the sanctuary region. Apply by June 5. (For Instagram: Check the link in our bio for information and how to apply).

Learn more: https://farallones.noaa.gov/manage/sac_recruitment.html
Photo: Chad King/NOAA "

Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary coastline has a vibrant living ecosystem and storied human past with early travels/trade up and down the coast. Over a century before the sanctuary was established, the U.S. Life Saving Service was a federal agency established in 1871 that was dedicated to rescuing survivors of shipwrecks as navigational technology was just forming. Throughout the Greater Farallones region, there are over 5 U.S. Lifesaving stations, some of which you can visit. On Memorial Day, we honor all the brave servicemembers that have served, and those that rowed wooden boats through fierce waves and storms to help rescue people as ships went down. Today the modern U.S. Coast Guard rely on modern technology with efficiencies. The sanctuary visitor center is located at the Crissy Field/Golden Gate U.S. Life Saving Station and you can enjoy the historic features of the buildings while learning about the sanctuary inside.

📷 Historic Golden Gate/Crissy Field U.S. Lifesaving Station Credit: Historic Archives/NPS
Point Reyes U.S. Lifesaving Station near Chimney Rock can be visited during park hours/Credit: Bob Schwemmer
Point Arena U.S. Lifesaving Station in Arena Cove (now a hotel/Air BnB)/Credit: J.Stock/NOAA

Happy Anniversary Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary 🥳! The sanctuary was designated in 1989 around the vibrant, healthy rocky reef of Cordell Bank 💰. Early explorers discovered Cordell's rich bounty💲 in the early 1980s and through their exploration and outreach, the sanctuary was created. Since then, research, education, and resource protection efforts have kept a focus on this unique offshore area. The sanctuary more than doubled in size in 2015 and with that expansion came deep sea habitats ⚓ 🌊that we have only just begun to explore and describe. Deep sea corals, sponges, anemones, stars, and so much more are part of the rich diversity of habitats and species in this national treasure. You can get involved in helping protect this unique sanctuary by applying for sanctuary advisory council seats open for application.

📷
Cordell Bank young rockfish and invertebrates Credit Rob Lee, BAUE
Cordell Expeditions Divers underwater Credit: Cordell Expeditions
Early chart showing Cordell Bank created by George Davidson Credit: U.S Coast Survey/NOAA
Deep sea rocky ledge in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Credit: OET/ONMS
Fly trap anemone, primnoid coral and brittle star Credit: OET/ONMS

Happy World Turtle Day! Endangered leatherback turtles travel vast distances (thousands of miles from their breeding sites in Southeast Asia) to feed on jellies in the sanctuary waters. Thick skin helps them avoid being stung! Their mouths and esophagus are lined with hundreds of backward facing, spine-like structures to keep jellies from escaping! California recognizes the leatherback turtle as the state's marine reptile!

Learn more! https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/leatherback-turtle
📷 Leatherback sea turtle going towards a jelly Credit: Scott Benson/NOAA
Leatherback sea turtle at the surface Credit: Scott Benson/NOAA
Chrysaora jelly, a turtles preferred prey :Credit Clinton Bauder/BAUE

If you kayak 🚣🏽‍♂️ on Tomales Bay, you will encounter beds 🛌 of a super hero plant called eelgrass. Tomales Bay is one of the top five coastal estuaries for eelgrass abundance along the U.S. west coast! Eelgrass meadows occur primarily in shallow areas of the bay. They trap sediments and reduce excess nutrients and pollutants 🛢️in the water, and serve as buffer zones, protecting the coast from erosion in addition to providing valuable habitat for so many other animals, such as the Taylor's sea hare.

If you find yourself reveling in the beauty while kayaking near eelgrass beds, help prevent damage and disruption to eelgrass by raising rudders or paddling around dense patches.
📷 Photos: Elisabeth Sellinger
1. eelgrass laying flat at surface of the water
2. close up of eelgrass at the surface
3. Taylor's sea hare lives almost exclusively on eelgrass and graze on surface algae.