National Marine Sanctuary Boundaries

NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a national network of underwater parks encompassing both 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 national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments. Few places on the planet can compete with the diversity of the National Marine Sanctuary System, which protects America's most iconic undersea natural and cultural resources. The system works with diverse partners and stakeholders to promote responsible, sustainable ocean uses that ensure the health of our most valued ocean and Great Lake places. By investing in innovative solutions, we strengthen these iconic places to address 21st-century challenges while supporting America's commerce and tourism. These unique locations inspire people to visit, value, and steward our nation's iconic ocean and Great Lakes places.

The legal boundaries of the national marine sanctuaries are defined within the Code of Federal Regulations, at 15 C.F.R. Part 922 and the subparts therein. The GIS compatible digital boundary files for each national marine sanctuary are representations of those legal boundaries and are based on the best available data.

These files are provided to promote an understanding of the boundaries, locations, and extents for each national marine sanctuary. They are based on the legal definition of each sanctuary as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, at 15C.F.R. Part 922 and the subparts therein as stressed previously. These digital files are not intended and should not be relied upon for use in navigation or for legal purposes. For legal questions relating to the digital boundary files, please contact NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries at the information provided in this metadata record.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Headquarters

Digital boundary files are available for public consumption from the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in hard copy or digital formats. See Distributor Contact Information for contact details.;

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NOT FOR LEGAL USE; NOT FOR NAVIGATION

Users must assume responsibility to determine the appropriate and relevant use of these data. This geospatial information is not to be used as LEGAL representations of the sanctuary boundaries. The digital boundaries were created with the most recent and accurate geospatial information available at the time of publication, but their overall extent, area, and/or proportions may change due to natural land changes along shorelines, as well as sanctuary boundary site modifications and expansions, as well as updated source data that is the basis of the boundary. Therefore, the currentness or accuracy of these digital boundaries that are provided to the public cannot be guaranteed.