Initiation of Review of Management Plan for Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries; Request for Information

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Initiation of Review of Management Plan for Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries; Request for Information

AGENCY:

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION:

Initiation of a management plan review; request for information.

SUMMARY:

NOAA is reviewing the management plans of the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries (GFNMS/CBNMS) to evaluate progress toward the sanctuaries' goals and to develop a unified management plan for both sanctuaries. NOAA is requesting information from individuals, organizations, Tribes, and government agencies on the priority activities that NOAA should address. In addition to receiving written comments through electronic submission, NOAA will provide an opportunity for oral comment at a meeting of the sanctuaries' advisory councils. NOAA currently does not anticipate proposing changes to regulations as part of this management plan review process.

DATES:

NOAA will consider all written comments that are received by 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on August 24, 2026. NOAA will also accept oral comments during a public meeting of the advisory councils for GFNMS/CBNMS on Friday, July 31, 2026 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. PDT at 1199 East Beach, San Francisco, CA 94129. Please check the website (

https://farallones.noaa.gov/management/mpr/)

for the most up-to-date information on the meeting. NOAA may end the comment period at the advisory council meeting before the time noted above if all those participating have completed their oral comments.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by any of the following methods:

•

Electronic Submission:

Submit electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, visit

https://www.regulations.gov

and type [NOAA-NOS-2025-0023] in the Search box.

•

Mail:

Written comments may also be mailed to Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries (Attn: Management Plan Review), 991 Marine Dr., San Francisco, CA, 94129.

•

Public Meeting:

Provide oral or written comments during a public meeting, as described under

DATES

. Additional information about how to participate in the meeting is available at

https://farallones.noaa.gov/management/mpr/

.

Instructions:

Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period may not be considered by NOAA. All written comments received are a part of the public record, and the entirety of the comment, including the name of the commenter, email address, attachments, and other supporting materials will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information such as account numbers or Social Security numbers and do not submit comments that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language. NOAA will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required fields to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brian Johnson, Deputy Superintendent, Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, at

farallones@noaa.gov

(include “MPR” in the subject line) or 415-530-5353. Please do not submit comments to this email address or phone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

NOAA manages GFNMS/CBNMS as a unit of the National Marine Sanctuary System under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA; 16 U.S.C. 1431

et seq

). The system comprises 18 underwater parks spanning over 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. Several Federal agencies share jurisdiction over the GFNMS/CBNMS area and its resources; these include, but are not limited to, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which have primary jurisdiction over offshore energy exploration and development;

1

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which has responsibility for the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species within its jurisdiction (pursuant to the Endangered Species Act; ESA) and management of sea otters (pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act; MMPA); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates discharges of pollutants into navigable waters; NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, which manages U.S. fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and has responsibility for conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species within its jurisdiction (pursuant to the ESA) and management of cetaceans and pinnipeds (pursuant to the MMPA); and the U.S. Coast Guard, which is responsible for national security, emergency response, and law enforcement.

1

On April 3, 2026, the Department of the Interior announced a phased transition to combine the functions of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement into a new Marine Minerals Administration. “Transition to the Marine Minerals Administration,”

available at https://www.doi.gov/mma-reunification

(April 3, 2026).

NOAA designated GFNMS in 1981 at 1,282 square miles and then expanded the sanctuary to its current size of 3,295 square miles in 2015. The sanctuary boundaries extend from the mean high tide line, with exceptions, to the continental margin at or about the 10,000-foot depth contour, and includes Estero Americano, Estero de San Antonio, Tomales Bay, and Bolinas Lagoon, as well as the waters surrounding the Farallon Islands. The Farallon Islands are managed by the USFWS as a national wildlife refuge. GFNMS boundaries also abut Cordell Bank and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries and portions of Point Reyes National Seashore, which is managed by the National Park Service. GFNMS also encompasses 17 zoned areas, established and managed by the state of California: 8 marine reserves (no-take zones) and 9 marine conservation areas (limited-take areas) that collectively compose 129.39 square miles (3.9%) of sanctuary waters. In addition, NOAA has established seven Special Wildlife Protection Zones (SWPZ) in GFNMS (see 15 CFR part 922, subpart H, Appendices D, E, and F), which are defined as areas containing high abundances of white sharks, breeding pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), or high abundances of breeding birds that are sensitive to human-caused disturbance, including federally listed and specially protected species. NOAA's regulations for GFNMS include specific provisions for each SWPZ, including overflight zones, cargo vessel prohibition zones, and a white shark approach prohibition zone. The regulations also include a motorized personal watercraft prohibition zone, and a seagrass protection zone in Tomales Bay.

NOAA designated CBNMS in 1989 at 529 square miles and later expanded it in 2015 to 1,286 square miles. The sanctuary is entirely offshore, with its southern boundary located 42 miles north of San Francisco, its eastern boundary located six miles from shore, and its western boundary located 30 miles from shore. CBNMS protects soft seafloor habitat, a rocky bank, deep sea canyons, and communities of wildlife throughout. Its surface waters are feeding areas for local and migratory seabirds, marine mammals, and turtles. The centerpiece of the sanctuary is Cordell Bank, a four-and-a-half mile by nine-and-a-half mile rocky undersea feature located 22 miles west of the Point Reyes headlands. This feature has dense aggregations of corals, sponges, other invertebrates, and fish. The sanctuary provides additional protections for the sensitive habitat of the bank, where it is prohibited to take benthic invertebrates or algae or alter the submerged lands within the 50-fathom isobath.

Subsection 304(e) of the NMSA requires the Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA, to periodically “evaluate the substantive progress toward implementing the management plan and goals for the sanctuary,” and to “revise the management plan and regulations as necessary to fulfill the purposes and policies of [the NMSA]” (16 U.S.C. 1434(e)). This review ensures that national marine sanctuaries continue to best conserve, protect and enhance their nationally significant resources. ONMS administers GFNMS/CBNMS as a single management unit given the sanctuaries' complementary program activities, coordinated

regulatory regimes, and overlapping pressures. As such, while they remain separate national marine sanctuaries from a legal standpoint, NOAA intends to develop a single unified management plan.

This joint GFNMS/CBNMS management plan review process is composed of four major stages: (1) information collection and preliminary scoping, including through this request for information; (2) preparation and release of a draft management plan and, as applicable, any draft environmental analysis conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); (3) public review and comment on the draft document(s); and (4) preparation and release of a final management plan and, as applicable, any final environmental analysis document, and any final amendments to sanctuary regulations, if applicable. In developing the new unified management plan, NOAA will identify, align with, and comply with any applicable local, state and federal statutory and regulatory requirements. As part of stage (2), NOAA will consider and determine whether NEPA requires the preparation of a document, such as an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, for this action.

At this time NOAA also does not expect to undertake any rulemaking actions as part of this management plan review process. If public scoping reveals additional information that suggests a need for regulatory changes, NOAA would further consider whether any regulatory changes are necessary.

This document also advises the public that NOAA intends to fulfill any applicable consultation responsibilities under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C. 1536, Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C. 1855(b), Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108), Federal Consistency review under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), 16 U.S.C. 1456(c), and government-to-government Tribal consultation responsibilities under Executive Order 13175.

II. Condition Reports

To inform the management plan review, NOAA has released updated condition reports for both national marine sanctuaries. The GFNMS Condition Report, released in June 2024, assesses the period from 2011-2022. The CBNMS Condition Report, released in June 2023, assesses the period from 2009-2021. Both reports present summary information describing the status and trends of sanctuary resources, covering the broad categories of human activities and pressures, water quality, habitat, living resources, and maritime heritage resources. The reports also include the status and trends of ecosystem services—the ways humans derive benefits from different ecosystem attributes that they care about for their lives and livelihoods. The GFNMS report is available at:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition/gfnms/

.

The CBNMS report is available at:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition/cbnms/

.

III. Preliminary Priorities and Public Comments

NOAA is particularly interested in receiving public comment on the following priority activities as they relate to the management plan review. This list does not preclude or in any way limit the consideration of additional topics raised through public comments, government to government consultations, or discussions with partner agencies. Consistent with the policies and principles of Executive Order 14313 of July 3, 2025, NOAA aims to prioritize responsible conservation, restore our lands and waters, and protect our Nation's outdoor heritage for the enjoyment of the American people.

•

Research, monitor, protect, and restore coastal habitats, with a focus on kelp forests, sandy shores, and rocky shores.

This priority activity addresses the loss of kelp and lack of recovery since 2014, sandy shore erosion and sediment imbalances, and pressures on rocky shore habitats from trampling, marine debris, and removal of species. Targeted activities may include, among others, research on methodologies for kelp restoration and monitoring, development of sediment models and nature-based solutions to address erosion and sediment imbalances, monitoring of sandy shore and rocky shore habitat, removal of marine debris, and multi-agency and community engagement.

•

Improve understanding of, and protect and restore, deep sea habitats with a focus on areas that are sensitive and unique, slow to recover and are at the highest risk of injury.

This priority activity addresses data gaps and management needs that exist for deep sea habitats of GFNMS/CBNMS including areas with rare structure-forming corals, rare sponges, and unique geological features. Targeted activities may include, among others, seafloor mapping, remotely-operated vehicle surveys, and engagement with management agencies and the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

•

Research and monitor the open ocean, with a focus on species, variability, ecosystem health, and environmental changes.

This priority activity addresses information needs to understand and protect the largest habitat type of GFNMS/CBNMS, the open ocean, the status of which is fundamental to habitat quality and species health through the sanctuaries, and which is vulnerable to environmental change and pollution. Targeted activities may include, among others, continuing long-term monitoring through the Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies project, continued deployments of oceanographic and acoustic moorings to track status and trends, partnerships to study environmental change, and multi-agency engagement for water quality monitoring and addressing stressors.

•

Prevent harm to wildlife and support healthy populations in the sanctuaries, with a focus on marine mammals and birds.

This priority activity addresses human disturbances to wildlife, such as those from overflights, ships strikes, and oil spills. Targeted activities may include, among others, monitoring of wildlife populations to understand status and trends, and community engagement to reduce stressors to wildlife.

•

Increase public awareness, appreciation, and sustainable use of sanctuaries, with a focus on volunteers, school and community education, and visitor facilities and exhibits.

This priority activity aims to enhance public awareness, understanding, appreciation, and sustainable use of sanctuary resources. Targeted activities may include, among others, school programs, visitor center programs, community lectures, and public communication through digital media and exhibits.

•

Protect and restore Bolinas Lagoon and Tomales Bay, with a focus on habitat and ecosystem function.

This priority activity addresses stressors that affect the ecosystem health of these two important estuarine areas, such as land use impacts; habitat degradation; disturbance from structures, vessels, or moorings; marine debris; and invasive species. Targeted activities may include, among others, continuing vessel management and marine debris removal projects to allow for passive restoration, and multi-jurisdictional engagement on visitor use issues and restoration projects.

In addition to these priority activities, NOAA must ensure that the sanctuaries respond to emergencies, assess damages to sanctuary resources, support law

enforcement, facilitate uses that are compatible with the primary objective of resource protection, and administer permits to protect America's natural, cultural, and historic resources as required by the NMSA. NOAA must also ensure that there are adequate facilities, infrastructure, and operational assets to support the priorities.

NOAA is also interested in receiving input on:

• The effectiveness of current NOAA programs, including resource protection, education and outreach, and research and monitoring for GFNMS/CBNMS;

• NOAA's implementation of GFNMS/CBNMS regulations and issuance of permits; and

• The effectiveness of NOAA's personnel and infrastructure (

e.g.,

staffing, offices, visitor centers, vessels, exhibits, etc.) for meeting mission requirements associated with GFNMS/CBNMS.

Authority:

16 U.S.C. 1431

et seq.

John Armor,

Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[FR Doc. 2026-13932 Filed 7-9-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P