OceanFest Celebrates Farallones Sanctuary

A few miles beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, a wide diversity of aquatic plants and species coexist in an area under federal protection since 1981, when then President Jimmy Carter signed a bill creating the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Today the 7th annual OceanFest will celebrate this sanctuary from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. with a free beachfront festival at West Crissy Field in San Francisco. A marine fair exhibition will show the public fun ways to both enjoy and protect the ocean. The Farallones' nutrient-rich waters guarantee an ideal habitat for many aquatic species, including 36 marine mammal species. There are whales, white sharks, sea lions, dolphins, rockfishes and seabirds. This 1,235-square-mile ecosystem is nationally regarded as a highly productive habitat and is the host of the largest breeding colony of seabirds in the United States...