Obama expands two major marine sanctuaries off California coast

WASHINGTON, March 15 (UPI) — The Obama administration signed off on a large expansion of two marine sanctuaries off the coast of Northern California on Thursday. The expansion will roughly triple the size of the sanctuaries.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary will expand from 529 square miles to over 1,200, and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will expand from 1,282 square miles to over 3,200.

“I am grateful to the Obama administration for this historic decision, which will more than double these magnificent national marine sanctuaries off the California coast and permanently protect one of the most productive coastal ocean regions on the planet,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said in a statement.

According to her release, the expansion will “help support the more than half a million jobs and over $34 billion in economic activity that depend on ocean tourism, recreation, and fishing in California.”

“It’s ironic that against the backdrop of this war on nature that we’re seeing in the U.S. Congress right now, we are able to suddenly pull off this long-sought result of permanent protection for this spectacular piece of coast,” Richard Charter, a senior fellow with the nonprofit Ocean Foundation, told SF Gate. “That is just a miracle.”

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