Marine Sanctuaries National Marine Sanctuary: A federally designated area within U.S. waters that protects specific areas of the marine environment Marine Protected Area: Areas where natural and/or cultural resources are given greater protection than the surrounding waters

Marine Sanctuaries Why do we make it a sanctuary? Conservation Recreation Ecology History Culture Archeology Science Education Aesthetics

Marine Sanctuaries So what’s the difference between a Marine Sanctuary and a Marine Protected Area? Marine Sanctuaries are multiple-use marine protected areas, protected under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act What?? Multiple-use??? Multiple-use mean the use of land for more than one purpose

Marine Sanctuaries Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act) 1972 Secretary of Commerce gets to choose a National marine Sanctuary after talking to the heads of involved agencies Governor can declare it unacceptable

Marine Sanctuaries Who runs National Marine Sanctuaries? NMSP National Marine Sanctuaries Program This program is a division of NOAA (Yay NOAA!) There are “14” U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries

Monitor Feb 30, 1975 North Carolina Designated by NOAA to protect the ironclad shipwreck of the USS Monitor First National Marine Sanctuary Only sanctuary created to protect a cultural resource rather than a natural one Size: 1 sq. mile

Key Largo* Jan 1976 Florida Designated by NOAA to protect the portion of barrier reef beyond state waters of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary subsumed this sanctuary in 1990 Size: 100 sq. miles

Channel Islands Oct 1980 California Designated by NOAA to protect a confluence of cold and warm water currents with a great abundance of marine life Expanded in 2007 Size: 1,658 sq. miles

Gulf of Farallones Jan 1981 California Designated by NOAA to protect an extensive marine habitat and bird colonies In the waters off San Francisco Size: 1,255 sq. miles

Looe Key* Jan 1981 Florida Designated by NOAA to protect the unusual and highly important spur and grove reef system Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary subsumed this sanctuary in 1990 Size: 5.32 sq. miles

Gray’s Reef Jan 1981 Georgia Designated by NOAA to protect a prime example of South Atlantic hard/live bottom coral habitat One of the largest near shore live-bottom reefs in the southeastern U.S. Size: 23 sq. miles

Fagatele Bay April 1986 American Samoa Designated by NOAA to protect an example of a South Pacific, tropical, fringing reef coral system Smallest and most remote Only true tropical reef in the program Size: 0.25 sq. miles

Cordell Bank May 1989 California Designated by NOAA to protect an area where upwelling nutrient-rich deep water supports a flourishing ecosystem Seamount, discovered by Edward Cordell in 1853 Size: 526 sq. miles

Florida Keys Nov 1990 Florida (duh) Designated by Congress in response to a series of large vessel groundings Protects the largest coral barrier reef system in the U.S. (3 rd largest in the world) Expanded in 2001 Size: 3,674 sq. miles

Flower Garden Banks Jan 1992 Texas/Louisiana Designated by NOAA to protect important coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico East Flower Garden Banks and West Flower Garden Banks Expanded in 1996; Stetson Bank Size: 56 sq. miles

Monterey Bay Sep 1992 California Designated by NOAA to protect a variety of habitats, including kelp forests, shores, and an underwater canyon Supports one of the world’s most diverse marine ecosystems Expanded in 2009 Size: 5,328 sq. miles

Stellwagen Bank Nov 1992 Massachusetts Designated by congress to protect the primary feeding grounds of the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Size: 842 sq. miles

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Nov 1992 Hawaii (duh!) Designated by Congress to protect calving and breeding grounds of the endangered North Pacific Humpback Whale One of the world’s most important whale habitat Size: 1,300 sq. miles

Olympic Coast May 1994 Washington Designated by NOAA as a representative marine and near-shore habitat of the Pacific Northwest Size: 3,310

Thunder Bay Jun 2000 Michigan Designated by NOAA to protect the collection of nationally significant historic shipwrecks (Shipwreck Alley, Lake Huron) Only sanctuary in the Great Lakes About 116 ships Size: 448 sq. miles

Papahanaumokuakea June 15, 2006 Hawaii Marine National Monument Largest MPA in the world Named after the goddess who ‘gave birth’ to the islands in Hawaiian mythology Size: 140,000 sq. miles

Facts, facts, facts! First? Monitor, 1975 Most recent? Thunder Bay, 2000 Closest to Texas? Flower Garden Banks In the Great Lakes? Thunder Bay