Sanctuary research at sea over Cordell Bank is conducted from the NOAA ship McAthur. (photo: Jamie Hall)

Scientists retrieve a Tucker net which has three nets to sample different depths and obtain discrete samples of tiny organisms that make up the base of the food web in the Sanctuary. (photo: Jamie Hall)

Sunset on another day of at-sea research in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Many zooplankton actively migrate from deep water into the surface layers of the Sanctuary after dark. (photo: Jamie Hall)

In the 1980's SCUBA expeditions were led by Bob Schmieder to undertake systematic assessments of what dwells on Cordell Bank. (photo: Cordell Bank Expeditions)

A diver from Cordell Bank Expeditions assessing invertebrate cover on a shallow pinnacle. (photo: Cordell Bank Expeditions)

A Cordell Bank Expeditions research diver over a bed of filter-feeding invertebrates. The food-rich currents over Cordell Bank offer prime habitat for filter-feeding animals. (photo: Cordell Bank Expeditions)

Photo documentation was a large part of the early expeditions to Cordell Bank. (photo: Cordell Bank Expeditions)

Sailing and fishing are tow examples of multiple use of the Sanctuary. (photo: Gulf of the Farallones NMS)

A gathering of charter sport fishing boats in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is an indication of lucrative yield from the waters below. (photo: Gulf of the Farallones NMS)

For many years, the productivity around Cordell Bank has attracted the attention of commercial fishermen. (photo: Gulf of the Farallones NMS)

An illustration of an historic sailing vessel typical of what used to travel through the rough waters of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. (photo: Gulf of the Farallones NMS)

Much to the delight of the whale watchers on board, a humpback surfaces nearby and shows its characteristic "hump" (photo: Dan Howard)

Bird watching is a popular past-time well rewarded in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, especially for pelagic or open ocean seabirds not commonly seen anywhere else. (photo: Dan Howard)

Sunset concludes another day of experiencing the thrills of up-close encounters with the residents of the Sanctuary.

Teacher-at-Sea Karen Duncan gets ready to deploy oceanographic sampling equipment that will yield information on water temperature, salinity, and depth. NOAA's Teahcer-at-Sea program is an ideal way to bring Sanctuary education into classrooms well beyond the duration of a research cruise. (photo: Jamie Hall)

Portable exhibits at environmental fairs and festivals help to increase awareness and stimulate interest int he Sanctuaries west of the Golden Gate (photo: Karina Racz)

Visitors to an open house aboard the NOAA ship McArthur in San Francisco learn more about their local Sanctuaries and the research being done by scientists who are monitoring the health of the marine environment. (photo: Karina Racz)

On board the McArthur, in the oceanographic lab, visitors are provided with a close-up view of specimens of the Cordell Bank collected during the recent cruise. (photo: Karina Racz)

Muralists Marisa Vumbaca and Maura Garity at work on a mural in the Sanctuary Visitor Center in San Francisco that brings the Sanctuaries west of the Golden Gate to city dwellers. (photo: Amber Mace)

Dan Howard, Assistant Manager of Cordell Bank, "dives" on the mural in the visitor center. Such an accurate rendering of what Cordell Bank looks like makes it possible for the general public to appreciate the diversity and beauty that lies below, without ever having been there. (photo: Amber Mace)