Possible Pollutant Report; off Stinson Beach, California

off Stinson Beach, CA | 2025-Mar-15

Initial Notification: Mid-day on March 15, 2025, USCG Sector San Francisco's Incident Management Division contacted their NOAA SSC regarding a possible oil sighting off of Stinson Beach, California. Initial reports from Stinson Beach Fire Department indicated “black blotches breaking up in the water.” The fire department was not able to get within 500 yards of the material, but did not smell any petroleum product. They chose to make a report to the National Response Center (NRC) in an abundance of caution. USCG then requested input on a possible pollution event. Photos were provided. Further investigation revealed that the source was biogenic—masses of small jellyfish-like creatures, Vellela velella, commonly known as “by-the-wind” sailors—and not a pollutant. The USCG stood down operations on the case, with no further requests for OR&R support.