IN THIS ISSUE

Common Murre Restoration Project

Think it can't happen here?

Volunteer Spotlight: Zuni Cafe's Judy Rodgers

In the News: Sea Lions at Moss Landing

Wildlife Spotlight:
Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)

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Sanctuary Explorers Camp

Sanctuary Explorers Camp is perfect for children ages 8-13 who wish to become junior marine scientists. It's a fun-filled week of tidepooling, sandcrabbing, kayaking, bird watching, and exploring this summer! For more information, to sign up, and to see pictures of camp, click here!>>

 

What is the donut hole and why should you care?

The City of San Francisco holds an exemption that allows them to discharge treated and partially treated wastewater into Sanctuary waters (known as the "donut hole") at a rate of 17 million gallons of water a day! Alliance for a Clean Waterfront is hosting a meeting to discuss the donut hole on Tuesday, March 21 at 6 pm at Park Branch Library. Click here for the PDF flyer on the event.

2006 25th Anniversary Series Sanctuary Exploration: Lectures and Excursions

Evening Lectures are free!
March 23 7-9 PM: Soaring and Survival among the Great Seabirds
Field Excursion
March 25 10 AM – 1 PM: Sea Bird Kayak Tour
All lectures are free. Excursions are fee based. For reservations and registration for all events, please contact ddevlin@farallones.org or 561-6625, ext 311. For more information on all the 2006 25th Anniversary Events, click here.>>

 

Public supports Sea Turtle Protection

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council received overwhelming public opposition comments from the outraged public (by a ratio of 2,200 to 1) about its March 9th final vote to allow drift gillnets and longlines back into vast protected areas along the Pacific Coast. Longline fishing and drift gillnets (often called "curtains of death") injure and kill endangered leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, and are a major threat to marine mammals, seabirds, and other non-target fish. Read more about the public's opposition.>>

 

Common Murre Restoration Project

As recently as the early eighties, a breeding colony of Common Murres at Devil’s Slide Rock in San Mateo County held as many as 3,000 birds, but after 1986, because of years of harmful fishing practices and a disastrous oil spill off the coast of California, not a single breeding pair returned. After a federal and state lawsuit yielded a $6.4 million settlement with the Apex Houston Company, a significant portion of the money earmarked for natural resource damage was put towards the Common Murre Restoration Project. Since 1996, the project has successfully brought back thousands of murres to Devil’s Slide Rock and San Pedro Rock in southern California. Continued >>

Think it can't happen here?

What do Floridians and Californians have in common? Pristine beaches and coastlines and economies dependent on tourism dollars. That’s the reason that we are paying close attention to the battle currently underway in Florida over offshore oil drilling.  Continued >>

 

Volunteer Spotlight: Zuni Cafe's Judy Rodgers

Judy Rodgers serves on the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association’s board, and is the chef/owner of the celebrated Zuni Café in San Francisco. I asked Judy about her commitment to sustainability, the ocean, and fresh, locally caught fish. Continued >>

 

 

In the News: Sea Lions at Moss Landing

In November of 1989, barely a month after the Loma Prieta earthquake, sea lions started to haul out at Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf. After a few months, dozens more were hauling out onto the docks, and the shop owners and local fishermen were taking notice. Initially, business owners wanted to get rid of the boisterous, smelly creatures, and fishermen were intent on getting rid of the large animals who were stealing their fish. But the tourists loved them, and the sea lions became a huge tourist industry. In a case reminiscent of the early days of sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, sea lions at Moss Landing have hauled out and taken over part of the harbor, enraging locals. Could this be another case of a burgeoning opportunity to cultivate a natural tourist industry? Straight to the source >>

Wildlife Spotlight: Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)

March begins pupping season for San Francisco Bay’s harbor seal population. The seals haul out at the bay’s three most important breeding sites—Castro Rocks, Mowry Slough, and Yerba Buena Island—where the females, after nine months of pregnancy, give birth to a single pup. Continued >>