The
National Marine Sanctuary Program
The
National Marine Sanctuary Program, a network of 13 marine protected
areas, encompasses marine and freshwater resources from Washington
State to the Florida Keys, from Massachusetts to American Samoa,
and from Lake Huron to the Gulf of Mexico. The National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service has
managed marine sanctuaries since passage of the Marine Protection,
Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. Title III of the Act
is now also known as the National Marine Sanctuaries Act.
Today, our marine sanctuaries contain kelp forests and deep
ocean gardens, near-shore coral reefs, areas for whale feeding,
reproduction and migration, deep-sea canyons, and underwater
archaeological sites. They range in size from one-quarter square
mile in Fagatele Bay, American Samoa, to more than 5,300 square
miles off Monterey Bay, California - one of the largest marine
protected areas in the world. Together, these sanctuaries protect
nearly 18,000 square miles of coastal, open ocean and Great
Lake waters and habitats.
While some activities are managed to protect resources, certain
multiple uses, such as recreation, commercial fishing and shipping,
are allowed to the extent that they are consistent with a sanctuary's
resource protection mandates. Research, education and outreach
activities are other major components in each sanctuary's program
of resource protection.
The National Marine Sanctuary Program is a world leader in ocean
management placing a primary emphasis on the protection of our
nation's living marine and submerged cultural resources.
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