Boats in the Bay
Protecting Tomales Bay by Managing Vessel Usage

By Miriam Gordon
Published: October 2007

Herring boat on Tomales bay. Credit: NOAA

There are a lot of boats in Tomales Bay and many of them are not going anywhere – they’re just parked in the bay.

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the California State Lands Commission are jointly leading a multi-agency effort to develop and implement strategies to improve ecosystem protection in Tomales Bay.  The eleven agencies that are collaborating to identify best strategies to manage vessels issued a document for public input on August 31st that kicked off a three month public input period.

The document, Protecting Tomales Bay by Managing Vessel Usage: A Document for Public Input, was released to engage the community early in the process to develop plans to provide a mooring permit system, minimize overboard discharges from boats, and prevent wildlife disturbance and the introduction of invasive species. The goals of the committee are to protect water quality, wildlife, and recreational opportunities in Tomales Bay by managing the use and storage of vessels in and on the bay.

Vessel mooring is the most controversial issue that the committee plans to address. Currently, the method for obtaining a legal, permitted mooring in Tomales Bay is so complex that only one vessel owner has successfully obtained a permitted mooring. Boat owners seeking a mooring permit must navigate the application process of multiple agencies.

The committee has identified  176 moorings placed without permit in Tomales Bay. The agencies hope to create a mooring permit system that allows boat owners to moor in Tomales Bay in ways that protect seagrass, seal haul-outs, swimmers, aquaculture, and navigation. In addition, the committee proposes creating mooring fields and providing environmentally sensitive mooring systems.

The Committee has proposed actions to reduce overboard discharge of vessel sewage by installing at least one sewage discharge facility, designating Tomales Bay as “no discharge zone” for vessel sewage, and requiring that live-aboard vessels be equipped with on-board sewage holding tanks.

The agencies propose encouraging a wide range of safe and environmentally sound boating practices through a comprehensive boater education and outreach program. Education will focus on minimizing disturbance of wildlife and habitat destruction, discharges of sewage, fuel, oil, and toxic products, and preventing the introduction of invasive species, and anchoring in seagrass beds.

The comment period ends December 3, 2007. During this period, the agencies are holding three workshops to inform interested parties about the issues that the committee has targeted for future action and to seek input on the options addressed in the document. 

Details about the workshops, public comment, and the document for review are available here. 

For more information, contact Miriam Gordon, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, (415) 561-6622, ext. 333, miriam.f.gordon@noaa.gov.