The Farallon Islands, "California's Galapagos" - KQED QUEST

Lying 28 miles off the coast of San Francisco, the Farallon Islands sit amid one of the most productive marine food webs on the planet and hosts the largest seabird breeding colony in the continental United States. QUEST ventures out for a rare visit to learn what life is like on the islands and meet the scientists who call this incredibly wild place home.

[@Ace_Angelo]

I’m new in San Fran and always wondered “what’s on the islands out there.” And now I know. Thank you!!

[@andrehb]

I take it by now you've learned that locals don't use the term "San Fran" ; )

[@islandplanetsails]

I used to deliver biologists and supplies to the Farallon Is several years ago. It's an amazing place. Thanks to KQED for putting this documentary together so people can get a feel for the place.

[@EricPace]

Ive seen these Islands before... I grew up in the Bay and seen them. They ALWAYS boggled my mind. Anyone I ever asked as a kid, I asked, "Is that Hawaii"? Nobody could answer. Thanks to the Internet, here I am, and now I feel better

[@whiteclifffl]

Eric Pace You “seen” them?? Wow! Were you educated in the Bay Area?

[@isaac5703]

whiteclifffl it’s correct grammar. I don’t see the point in bringing someone down like this.

[@fishncapt26]

35 yr career at sea on pacific from Alaska west to Russia so th all way past cabo and Guadeloupe is west to Samoa, and I have many many favorite places and love the channel islands down south, And all the Islands In Washington too, but of everywhere in Pacific for some reason farallons has always been my fave, salmon and cod fishing there In my early career was epic and its always been my fave place in pacific to fish, and other then Guadeloupe island down south farallons is best place to see white sharks too and is best cod and rockfishing place south of Alaska, best ling cod and rockfishing place frkm Washington to equator

[@denisesimpson591]

I'm viewing this special on January 4, 2016, and I'm still overawed by the wild beauty and abundance of marine life on the Farallons! Please update as to how the islands are faring. President Theodore Roosevelt was truly a man ahead of his time in establishing conservation efforts to protect our parklands and maritime retreats like the Farallons!

[@cward1890]

Do they monitor radioactivity on this island ? There were barrels of waste dumped there years back

[@promontorium]

It's not likely to be a threat being dispersed by the currents. Radioactive material is only dangerous in two circumstances, if it's emitting a very high amount, a short exposure time is dangerous. If it's emitting a lower amount, long term exposure is dangerous. If the various radioactive items sunk around the islands were highly radioactive, then they're probably very low now because high radioactivity necessarily runs out fast. If they are releasing slowly, the fast current are spreading the radiation, so there wouldn't likely even be local contamination.

[@josephinetracy1485]

Because of the BP oil spill and Fukushima, I don't even eat sea food anymore.

[@Bendovert100]

I live in pacifica which is about 25-30 miles away from the farallons. I live on a big hill, and i have a great view. I can see them when its not foggy, but it is always foggy here. People call us the snow globe.

[@MermaidMusings7]

The Farallon Islands fascinate me. Susan Casey wrote a great book about the islands' great white sharks.

[@williamhanley7031]

We're any of those underwater shots actually in the water there.

[@WHDRWN]

She smiles when she's talking about people dying.

[@denisesimpson591]

i'd love to sail out there!! beautiful!!!

[@TheGlave80]

I live in Pacifica and on a good day I can see this islands from my house.

[@matthewgoofy6978]

I love it. I wanna go there :D

[@janmas4674]

Matthew Cardona.. what you wanna go there?? its a dangerous place to go with..its a lot of great white sharks!

[@keithraymond628]

A follow/up show is warranted. The dumping of radioactive nuclear waste off the Farrallons in the 1950s may be the cause of the changes in the anchovy population that affected the Cormorants. If the populations further destabilize due to the flotsam and jetsam from Fukishima in the next year, we need to be really concerned about the habitat. Not only for the sea life, but for California as a whole.

[@keithraymond628]

If the kelp beds and the ambient life are decimated, offshore becomes a large garbage heap, affecting inland and bay water quality. The result will cause a chain reaction up the food chain eventually making the coast uninhabitable. Think of the gut microbiome, damaging it destabilizes the organism as a whole.

[@keithraymond628]

Greed, plain simple and boring. I witnessed the beaches in Dubai turned into landfills by the construction of The Palm and The World. Simply because the architects didn't consider how tidal flow would be affected by the offshore land masses. Sadly short term gain trumps long term survival every time.

[@drewgamezzz8482]

I mean I hadn’t got but like a min in, but didn’t they dump like 100,000 barrels of radioactive waste there?

[@mickeywelch4880]

San Fran always in trouble?

[@ksummerwine]

Wow! Harvesting birds & eggs after chicken shortage in San Francisco. Incredible footage & a treasure to be saved.

[@PersianAfghani]

Wtf is going on at 9:48? Did Anyone else catch that?

[@matthewbonilla409]

It's a nesting box

[@PersianAfghani]

Matthew Bonilla thank you but why do they trap the poor bird?

[@promontorium]

@@PersianAfghani ​ I looked this up, they are nocturnal birds that naturally hide in caves or under rocks during the day and build their nests there. I think the scientists build these to attract the birds to build their nests in them. Then they can just pick up the top and pick up a baby bird and measure and weigh it to see how it's growing. Then they put it back in its nest and put the top board back on (held down by rocks so it doesn't get knocked over or blown away). The birds aren't trapped. It's just an artificial place for them to nest.

[@TheAdadadada]

Love to see if there are any recorded signs of the Fukushima radiation affecting the wildlife here!

[@planetmchanic6299]

Ya, major bird die off. Seals too. The entire ocean is just about dead. Not comin back, looks like. Down to 10% already. Won't be long now.

[@promontorium]

The US Navy sank a radioactive ship and barrels full of radioactive material right next to the islands after WW2. That didn't cause a problem. While the radiation was devastating, and obviously still bad locally, the ocean has a great ability to absorb and disperse radiation. The entire Pacific ocean moves in gyres, which is how the radiation would reach California in the first place, what's to be considered is that compared to the tiny amount of radioactive material that got in the ocean, the ocean is unimaginably large. Since radiation is by its very nature only dangerous in larger doses, the ocean effectively neutralized that threat. Radiation is not like mercury for example that never goes away. Radiation is literally things going away. It's atoms breaking down and electrons flying off. They eventually get done, and spread out they're harmless.

[@WHDRWN]

The idea that each year the seasons are the same and should be the same is such a simpleton and corporate way of looking at things.

[@nubiapp]

Me too!

[@danishsmith7501]

Sidemen reacts

[@hayesj6698]

Them teeth tho.😬

[@Mr3344555]

What them teeth do?

[@RedwoodTheElf]

So you've been studying decade long oscillations for 40 years? I'm sorry, but 4 cycles is NOT a big enough sample to even KNOW what "Normal" is, let alone say something is "abnormal" - Come back after you've studied it for at least 20 cycles.

[@scott5358]

maybe the big black birds are gay !

[@beeferoni786]

Who's here because of Coyote?

[@beeferoni786]

The one and only.

[@Gunrun808]

I wish I could go back in time and tell the petrol heads that started the industial revolution... "think of the trees"

[@WHDRWN]

woke

[@TheBandit7613]

No one needs to "study" (look at) these birds on the taxpayers dime. What is being learned that isn't already known? Remove the structures and leave the critters alone. The coast guard can patrol to keep people away.

[@ronmartin1375]

Hopefully the global warming is real and the island becomes tropical.

[@supermikeb]

I'm guessing they won't mention the 48,000 barrels of nuclear waste that was dumped there along with a contaminated ship full of nuclear waste.