In response to public interest, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposed the expansion of the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries this week.
The main effect of any expansion plans, if approved, would be bans on oil and gas exploration within the sanctuaries, along with increased protections for water quality. Fishing, both commercial and recreational, is allowed in the sanctuaries, says Jennifer Stock, a spokeswoman for the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
The two sanctuaries—located off the coast of Northern California—are neighbors, and the proposed expansion of their boundaries would increase their combined area by 2,775 square miles (7,187 square kilometers). Currently, the Cordell Bank sanctuary, which is entirely offshore, encompasses 529 square miles (1,370 square kilometers) and the Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary sprawls across 1,279 square miles (3,313 square kilometers).
If expansion plans pass muster, they would run from just north of San Francisco up the coast to Point Arena (map) in Mendocino County.