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To effectively manage the resources within the sanctuary system, scientists must understand a sanctuary's natural and cultural resources and the threats they face.
Site characterization allows scientists to better understand the biodiversity, habitats, resources, and ecological processes that define each sanctuary’s environment. Site characterization also describes the history of the site, resource protection efforts, effects of human activities on natural systems and socioeconomic information.
Click here to find out more about Site Characterization within the National Marine Sanctuary Program.

Credit: Lisa Etherington, CBNMS

High resolution backscatter and bathymetry data have been collected on Cordell Bank and surrounding soft bottom areas and are being used to develop a benthic habitat map. Habitat characteristics such as slope, rugosity, depth, and substrate type are being used to describe the physical habitats that make up Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and to relate these seafloor features to benthic community patterns.
Click here for a visualization of the seafloor features of Cordell Bank.
(Partners: California State University-Monterey Bay, U.S. Geological Survey )

A marine biogeographic assessment was conducted to support the management plan review and development for three national marine sanctuaries off north/central California - Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay. Sanctuary staff are required to regularly update their management plans and staff need current information to update the plans. This work supports NOAA's environmental stewardship goal to sustain healthy coastal ecosystems by assessing the distribution and relative abundance of the coastal biota and associated habitat. The goal of the assessment was to identify and gather the best available data and information to characterize and identify important biological areas and time periods within the study area.
Visit: A Biogeographic Assessment Off North/Central California to download the report and for further project details.

Benthic Habitat and Community Characterization

Credit: Rick Starr, CBNMS

Since 2002, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary has been conducting a long term study to classify habitats and monitor fishes and invertebrates on and around Cordell Bank. Underwater surveys of macrofauna and habitats are conducted using direct observation and video transects from an occupied submersible Delta. Similar surveys are done in soft bottom habitats using camera sled transects.
Partners: U.S. Geological Survey , National Marine Fisheries Service , and California Department of Fish and Game

Marine Debris Impacts and Removal Techniques

Credit: Kip Evans

Significant amounts of fishing gear have been documented on the rocky habitats of Cordell Bank, entangled on the seafloor and extending into the water column . In 2006, a new effort was initiated to document the extent and locations of lost gear on Cordell Bank, and to test methods of removing it from deep water environments, using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), commercial divers, and submersibles.
Partner: SeaDoc Society, University of California-Davis .

See the results of an expedition aboard R/V Fulmar to test removal techniques using an ROV.

Socioeconomic Profile of Activities and Communities

Associated with Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries

As part of the Joint Management Plan Review process, a need was identified for socioeconomic background information on fishing activities within Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. This report profiles both the historic fisheries, and the evolution of fishing activities occurring in the sanctuary. The profile includes information on numbers of boats actively engaged in each fishery; areas where the fishery is taking place; gear types; catch levels; a socio-economic profile of the harbors and marinas adjacent to the sanctuary; and an understanding of markets, changing gear types, and changing fisheries management regulations that influence this profile and the community. Information exchange with mariners provided important input to the profile.
Visit Ecotrust to download the Socioeconomic Profile of Fishing Activities and Communities Associated with the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries report and for further project details.

Sanctuary Quest

During Sanctuary Quest: West Coast 2002, the NOAA ship McArthur focused on research, exploration, and monitoring within and adjacent to the national marine sanctuaries along the Pacific coast. Visual observations, samples, oceanographic data, and survey data were collected to enhance our understanding of key habitat areas. The expedition included a significant education and outreach element designed to generate interest in marine research and conservation efforts, provide a foundation for continued collaborative efforts, and address the rich history of exploration throughout the region. Over the long term, the expedition should help provide a framework for understanding more about the efficacy and role of the sanctuary system in protecting and conserving marine resources, and to provide the impetus for continued regional research.