In accordance with the standards set forth in title III of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, as amended, also known as the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (Act) the mission of the National Marine Sanctuary program (Program) is to identify, designate and manage areas of the marine environment of special national, and in some cases international, significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, research, educational, or aesthetic qualities.

The goals of the Program are to carry out the mission to:

Identify and designate as National Marine Sanctuaries areas of the marine environment which are of special national significance;

Provide authority for comprehensive and coordinated conservation and management of these marine areas, and activities affecting them, in a manner which complements existing regulatory authorities;

Support, promote, and coordinate scientific research on, and monitoring of, the resources of these marine areas, especially long-term monitoring and research of these areas;

Enhance public awareness, understanding, appreciation, and wise use of the marine environment;

Facilitate to the extent compatible with the primary objective of resource protection, all public and private uses of the resources of these marine areas not prohibited pursuant to other authorities;

Develop and implement coordinated plans for the protection and management of these areas with appropriate Federal agencies, State and local governments, Native American tribes and organizations, international organizations, and other public and private interests concerned with the continuing health and resilience of these marine areas;

Create models of, and incentives for, ways to conserve and manage these areas;

Cooperate with global programs encouraging conservation of marine resources; and

Maintain, restore, and enhance living resources by providing places for species that depend upon these marine areas to survive and propagate.

To the extent consistent with the policies set forth in the Act, in carrying out the Program's mission and goals:

Particular attention will be given to the establishment and management of marine areas as National Marine Sanctuaries for the protection of the area's natural resource and ecosystem values; particularly for ecologically or economically important or threatened species or species assemblages, and for offshore areas where there are no existing special area protection mechanisms;

The size of a National Marine Sanctuary, while highly dependent on the nature of the site's resources, will be no larger than necessary to ensure effective management;

Management efforts will be coordinated to the extent practicable with other countries managing marine protected areas;

Program regulations, policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures under the Act concerning the identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment of historical resources shall be consistent, to the extent practicable, with the declared national policy for the protection and preservation of these resources as stated in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, 16 U.S.C. 470 et seq., the Archeological and Historical Preservation Act of 1974, 16 U.S.C. 469 et seq., and the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA), 16 U.S.C. 470aa et seq. The same degree of regulatory protection and preservation planning policy extended to historical resources on land shall be extended, to the extent practicable, to historical resources in the marine environment within the boundaries of designated National Marine Sanctuaries. The management of historical resources under the authority of the Act shall be consistent, to the extent practicable, with the Federal archeological program by consulting the Uniform Regulations, ARPA (43 CFR part 7) and other relevant Federal regulations. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology may also be consulted for guidance. These guidelines are available from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Management at (301) 713-3125.