NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

National Marine Sanctuary System

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 629,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 17 national marine sanctuaries and Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments.

Eastern Region

Florida Keys Flower Garden Banks Gray's Reef Hudson Canyon (in designation) Lake Erie (in designation) Lake Ontario Mallows Bay-Potomac River Monitor Stellwagen Bank Thunder Bay Wisconsin-Shipwreck Coast

West Coast Region

Channel Islands Chumash Heritage Cordell Bank Greater Farallones Monterey Bay Olympic Coast

Pacific Islands Region

American Samoa Hawaii Humpback Whale Pacific Islands Heritage (in designation) Papahānaumokuākea

Olympic Coast
National Marine Sanctuary

Washington Coast, USA

Sanctuary News

Boundry map of Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary

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NOAA Announces Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA has announced its decision to designate Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary, a 582,570 square-mile area in the Pacific Ocean that is two times the size of Texas. The sanctuary is within the existing Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, and provides additional protections and management tools to strengthen conservation of the marine areas of the monument.

three boats on the water with people fishing over the sides

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How National Marine Sanctuaries Fuel Local Economies

panoramic view of a coral reef in florida keys

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NOAA Releases Final Restoration Blueprint for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

President Carter holds up signed documents while smiling and as many spectators in the room smile and applaud

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President Jimmy Carter's National Marine Sanctuary Legacy

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NOAA's Hawai'i Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program celebrates 20 years

Close up of a crab posing in front of a urchin, its long rostrum blending in with the urchins spines.

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2024 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest Winners

Three elementary students sit on a moving boat with an American flag flapping in the wind on a boat ride on the water.

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Third Graders Get Into Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

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Kanu i ka ʻĀina (Planting the Seeds): Investing in the Next Generation of Indigenous Stewards and Scientists

researchers on deck preparing to deploy a new data buoy

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Notes from the Field

Join us behind the scenes for a look at research taking place above and below the water.

National Marine Sanctuary System Posters

ROV shinning it's light at the bottom of Davidson Seamount; A varity of sealife can be seen including deep-sea corals, sponges, deep-sea fishes, crustaceans, jellies, and an octopus gardens

Coastal mangroves and seagrass are nurseries for many species of fish, invertebrates and birds that inhabit Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. These calm, shallow waters are ideal for paddle sports, snorkeling, and fishing for species like tarpon. The offshore coral reef features elkhorn and brain corals, sponges, and other invertebrates which create habitat for spiny lobster, urchins, and many other species of reef fish like sergeant major and larger fish like sharks, rays, barracuda, and snapper.

During the National Marine Sanctuary System's 50th anniversary celebration in 2022, a commemorative poster series was launched to capture the beauty and diversity of each site in the system. The posters are two sided, featuring original artwork on the front and educational information on the back. Other posters created for the system over the years have also been added. Dive in and download your sanctuary posters today!

Virtual Dives

Immerse yourself in the ocean and your national marine sanctuaries without getting wet!

Dive Into Your Sanctuaries

Our planet is an ocean planet: Earth Is Blue. The National Marine Sanctuary System protects some of the most iconic underwater places throughout the United States, but we can't do it without you. No matter where you are, the ocean and Great Lakes are in your hands. We hope these images inspire you to help care for our ocean and to spread the word that Earth isn't green – it's blue.

Submit your own photos and join us on:

snow covered shore and waters of Lake Huron

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Stories from the Blue

Stories from the Blue celebrate the people at the center of national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments. What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

Earth is Blue Magazine

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Sanctuary Nomination Process

NOAA invites communities across the nation to nominate their most treasured places in our marine and Great Lakes waters for consideration as national marine sanctuaries.

nominate.noaa.gov