To view a specific sanctuary's graphic bar on the right, click on their name on the map below. Then click on the sanctuary's graphic bar to launch their web site.

Our national marine sanctuaries embrace part of our collective riches as a nation. Within their protected waters, giant humpback whales breed and calve their young, coral colonies flourish and shipwrecks tell stories of our maritime history. Sanctuary habitats include beautiful rocky reefs, lush kelp forests, whale migration corridors, spectacular deep-sea canyons and underwater archaeological sites. Our nation’s sanctuaries can provide a safe habitat for species close to extinction or protect historically significant shipwrecks. Ranging in size from less than one square mile to more than 5,300 square miles, each sanctuary is a unique place needing special protection. Natural classrooms, cherished recreational spots and valuable commercial industries – marine sanctuaries represent many things to many people.

The National Marine Sanctuary Program serves as the trustee for a system if 13 sanctuaries, encompassing more than 18,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington State to the Florida Keys and from Lake Huron to America Samoa. The sanctuary program is conducting a process to designate the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, encompassing more than 131,000 square miles, as the nation’s 14^th marine sanctuary.