A Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a term that encompasses a variety of conservation and management methods in the United States.  The official federal definition of an MPA is: "any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein."  Executive Order 13158 (May 2000)

In practice, MPAs are defined areas where natural and/or cultural resources are given greater protection than the surrounding waters. In the U.S., MPAs span a range of habitats including the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes. They also vary widely in purpose, legal authorities, agencies, management approaches, levels of protection, and restrictions on human uses.

An MPA is not necessarily a no fishing zone, though the two terms are often erroneously used as though they were interchangeable. Some environmental groups are calling for "ocean wilderness areas" or marine reserves. These are highly restrictive MPAs where recreational activities are excluded. In certain cases MPAs may unnecessarily restrict the public's ability to fish along our nation's coasts.

Issue

Presidential Executive Order 13158 on marine protected areas, signed in May 2000, called for the establishment of the National Marine Protected Areas Center, a collaboration of federal agencies, led by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of the Interior. The MPA Center's main task is to consult with government agencies and non-government organizations and the public to develop a scientifically-based, comprehensive national system of MPAs. The national system of MPAs will represent diverse U.S. marine ecosystems and the nation's natural and cultural resources.

Two recent examples of MPA designation and discussion include the Hawaiian National Monument which was designated by President Bush in June of 2006. It encompasses nearly 140,000 square miles of ocean in the Northern Hawaiian Islands, and is the largest marine protected area in the world. Also, NOAA recently released a document outlining the proposed creation of a series of marine protected areas within the Gulf Coast stretching from the Yucatan Peninsula to Key West Florida. NOAA suggests President Bush should declare the outlined area a "marine national monument" under the 1906 Antiquities Act; similar to the procedure taken for the Hawaiian National Monument.

Points of Interest

• Marine protected areas should be designated only when scientifically-based, via a transparent, open process, and should be monitored and revised as necessary to ensure effectiveness. 
• Depressed fish stocks can be rebuilt through the traditional management measures provided under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

Action

NASC works with individual state caucuses to develop language if they select this issue to put before their own legislatures. Read MPAs - Threat to Recreational Fishing