Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary protects biologically diverse and productive marine and coastal habitats that support healthy local economies.

Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is one of the earth's most unique ecosystems. We are incredibly blessed to not only live next door to this ocean treasure, but to run a business whose success hinges on a healthy and well protected sanctuary. - Captain Joe Nazar Owner, San Francisco Whale Tours Pier 39, San Francisco

• Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is an example of a large, biologically diverse and productive set of marine and coastal habitats in close proximity to an expansive urban population- about 9 million people live within 100 miles of its shoreline.
  
  
• Currently, the most important fisheries in Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and the adjacent port communities of San Francisco and Half Moon Bay, are dungeness crab, groundfish (including several nearshore species), herring, salmon, squid, tuna and urchins. In 2003, these fisheries yielded an average of nearly 16 million pounds of landings worth over $16.7 million per year in revenue (2010 dollars).
  
  
• Three major shipping lanes converge in the sanctuary just west of the Golden Gate Bridge at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The volume of traffic in and out of San Francisco Bay is large, with 6,000 large vessel arrivals and departures annually.
  
  
• A recent economic impact study of Point Reyes National Seashore, a national park along the shores of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, found that Point Reyes generated a total of $71.8 million in direct, indirect and induced impacts in Marin and Sonoma counties and accounted for 850 jobs in 2005. Approximately 2 million people visited Point Reyes in 2005, with the coasts and ocean - protected by the sanctuary - a big draw.

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