Fragile invertebrate life is abundant on Cordell Bank. (Photo: Cordell Expeditions)

NOAA has released final revised management plans, regulations and a joint final environmental impact statement for Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary's new management plan offers a vision and course for protecting the rich marine ecosystems of ocean and coastal waters off north-central California while continuing to allow compatible, sustainable human uses. The result of more than seven years of study, planning and extensive public input, these detailed documents are major revisions of the sanctuaries' original management plans and address key issues including ecosystem protection, wildlife disturbance, vessel traffic, water quality, non-native species and coastal development. The final plan consists primarily of non-regulatory actions, but some changes to sanctuary regulations clarify and strengthen protections for marine habitats, sensitive species, and submerged cultural and historical resources.

The Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (MP) is supported by a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS analyzes the potential impacts from modified and new regulations, as well as impacts from a range of regulatory alternatives. The modified and new regulations are posted in the Federal Register as a Final Rule. Proposed changes to regulations are intended to clarify and strengthen protections for marine habitats, sensitive species, water quality, and submerged cultural and historic resources.

Media: Download the Press Release

The following electronic documents are available for download:

• Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan
• Summary of Regulatory Changes (1.5Mb pdf)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement
• Final Rule for Federal Register (328k pdf)
• Summary of Prohibitions (80k pdf)

CDs of final documents are available at Cordell Bank office. Contact office at cordellbank@noaa.gov to receive a CD.

Yellowtail Rockfish are one of forty species of rockfish that live in the waters at Cordell Bank. (Photo: Kip Evans)

The Management Plan is available to download in its entirety, or in sections as shown below. To view or download a copy of the Management Plan, please click on the following links to view the PDF files:

Full Management Plan (3.9Mb pdf)

Section 01 - Intro and Overview (740k pdf)

• Cover Page
• Study Area Map
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Sanctuary Setting
• Overview of Joint Management Plan Review (JMPR) Process
• Structure of the Action Plans

The modified and new regulations are posted in the Federal Register as a Final Rule. Proposed changes to regulations are intended to clarify and strengthen protections for marine habitats, sensitive species, water quality, and submerged cultural and historic resources. The final regulations became effective March 9, 2009.

The following libraries have review copies of the Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Management Plans and the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the three sanctuaries (Farallones, Cordell Bank, Monterey Bay.)

Point Reyes Station/Marin County Free Library
11431 State Route 1
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Sonoma County Public Library
Petaluma Regional Library
100 Fairgrounds Drive
Petaluma, CA 94952

Sonoma County Public Library
Sebastopol Regional Library
7140 Bodega Ave
Sebastopol, CA 95472

Santa Rosa Public Library
Third & E Streets (211 E St.)
Santa Rosa 95404

San Rafael Public Library
1100 E Street
San Rafael, California 94901

Marin County Library/Civic Ctr
3501 Civic Center Drive No. 427
San Rafael, CA 94903

Bodega Marine Lab Library
2099 Westside Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923

UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall Library
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720

Stanford University Cecil Green Library
Bing Wing Stanford Univ.
Stanford, CA 94305


Permit Information

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary regulations provide for temporary permitting of specific activities that are not otherwise permissible. Such activities are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Permit requests are evaluated based on their potential single and cumulative impacts to sanctuary resources versus the potential benefits the activity may provide in terms of resource protection.

Permitted activities are typically research related or education oriented.

For most proposed activities, an Office of National Marine Sanctuaries permit application must be completed. Instructions, application forms, and related information can be found here.

For more information on how to apply for a permit, please contact Michael.Carver@noaa.gov.

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act creates the authority for the sites to regulate and do certain activities. To read the Act, please click here.