National Marine Sanctuaries

In response to a growing awareness of the value of our coastal waters, Congress passed the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act in 1972. Title III of the Act authorized the Secretary of Commerce to designate certain areas as National Marine Sanctuaries, with the objective of protecting significant waters and securing habitat for aquatic species, sheltering historically significant shipwrecks and other cultural resources, and serving as valuable spots for research, fishing, wildlife viewing, boating, and tourism. Sanctuaries could be designated anywhere in the marine environment, which Title III defined as: "...those areas of coastal and ocean waters, the Great Lakes and their connecting waters, and submerged lands over which the United States exercises jurisdiction, consistent with international law...."

The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is presently administered by the Sanctuaries and Reserves Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Most of the Sanctuary operations are directed by the individual Sanctuary managers and staff, in collaboration with the community and other federal, state, and local government agencies.

To date, the National Marine Sanctuary Program includes 12 sanctuaries and 2 proposed sanctuaries, ranging in size from less than one square mile to more than 5,300 square miles. These sanctuaries protect a variety of marine ecosystems, ranging from nearshore coral reefs like Fagatele Bay NMS in American Samoa, which is located within an eroded volcanic crater, to open ocean areas like Flower Garden Banks NMS, located 110 miles south of the Texas-Louisiana border. The Florida Keys NMS, not only protects coral reefs, but mangrove fringed shorelines and islands as well. Some sanctuaries preserve archeological and historical resources. The Monitor NMS preserves the shipwreck remains of the Civil War ironclad, while Channel Island NMS, Florida Keys NMS, Monterey Bay NMS, and the Thunder Bay NMS & Underwater Sanctuary in Lake Huron are known to include a number of historic shipwrecks.

Some of the marine sanctuaries are also favorite recreational spots for diving and sport fishing, and support valuable commercial industries such as fishing and kelp harvesting. Gray's Reef NMS is one of the most popular recreational fishing and sport diving destinations along the Georgia coast. Stellwagen Bank NMS, off the coast of Massachusetts, supports both commercial fishing and whale watching, an activity that brings more than half a million visitors to the Bank annually. As is the case with national parks and national forests, part of the challenge of managing the marine sanctuaries is balancing environmental protection with economic growth and public access. A goal of the sanctuary program is resource protection through increased public awareness and improved use of the coastal and marine environments. Education programs are held for school children, teachers, resource users, the general public, and coastal and marine resource policy makers. The Sanctuaries and Reserves Division has historically lacked sufficient operating funds and staff resources to carry out large-scale research and monitoring programs at the sanctuaries, but a number of site-specific projects have been supported over the years, either with NOAA or outside funds.

Below is a complete list of the national marine sanctuaries. With four sanctuaries, California has more than any other state.

Channel Islands NMS (CA)
Cordell Bank NMS (CA)
Fagatele Bay NMS (AS)
Florida Keys NMS (FL)
Flower Garden Banks NMS(TX)
Gray's Reef NMS (GA)
Gulf of the Farallones NMS (CA)
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale NMS (HI)
Monitor NMS (NC)
Monterrey Bay NMS (CA)
Northwest Straights - proposed NMS (WA)
Olympic Coast NMS (WA)
Stellwagen Bank NMS (MA)
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary & Underwater Preserve (MI)

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