Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

Map of the Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is one of 13 marine sanctuaries in the U.S., found outside San Francisco's Golden Gate, and comprises part of the United Nations' Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve . It adjoins two other National Marine Sanctuaries, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was declared in 1981 and protects about 1,250 square miles (3,237 km²) of the waters off San Francisco, part of the highly productive California Current System. Within the sanctuary are the Farallon Islands and associated National Wildlife Refuge, the sanctuary protects the feeding grounds of the seabirds and seals that breed and haul out on the islands. The sanctuary also protects migrating whales, especially gray whales, and a population of great white sharks.