Navigator includes boundary and regulation information for areas in maritime waters that manage extraction of natural living resources (i.e. fishing and take). For mariners and ocean users, these data allow for real-time access to place-based regulation information and details on the variety of prohibitions and restrictions that apply throughout the ocean. For the conservation community, these data provide an important resource for understanding both the where and how of current ocean protections - to inform progress and plans for reaching goals like 30x30.

There are multiple ways that protection of an area can be rated. ProtectedSeas assigns a Level of Fishing Protection (LFP) score to each area based on a decision tree that evaluates the overall scope of fishing and take restrictions in place. When calculating regional coverage statistics, the highest LFP score of any overlapping areas is used where more than one regulation applies.

ProtectedSeas is a private effort to encourage ocean conservation and stewardship. Our Marine Managed Area effort includes a public-private partnership with the NOAA Marine Protected Area Center.

ProtectedSeas uses a standardized process to collect, snythesize, and map marine managed areas.

Restrictions: The restricted activities listed for each managed area provide a summary of regulations (particular to extraction of natural, living resources) cited in official legislation and do not present the regulations in their entirety. For complete description of the regulations, users need to consult the official record, federal register notice or state/federal code (provided as URL links when available).

Boundaries: When available, the boundary data are obtained from the managing agency or authoritative source referenced for each managed area. When these data are not available, have not been drawn or are out-of-date, the boundaries are drafted from coordinates and boundary descriptions cited in state or federal code. Links to online sources/code are provided for each managed area in the site attributes.

Managed area boundaries are created for use at specific spatial scales. State and regional boundaries that cover large areas will often use a low-moderate resolution shoreline to depict the landward boundary of an MPA, while local boundaries that cover small areas will use a higher resolution shoreline. In areas where local and regional scale boundaries overlap, discrepancies between these shorelines (mapped at different scales) will be apparent.

The database that supports this application is updated monthly with new boundaries, boundary modifications, updates to regulations and other information obtained through feedback provided from users. Changes made between versions are recorded and published with the downloadable data. If you notice errors for an area, use the feedback button in the area details to let us know!

Our full Marine Area Database is available for download in various GIS formats by region under a simple, free license. To learn more or to download the data, please visit our Ocean Data page

ProtectedSeas is working to map all global areas - but it's a big task! If you have MPA data you would like to share, please send us a message via our Contact Form

Multiple regulations may apply in the same location yet be managed under differing authorities. When providing regulations information, this application does not assume precedence or hierarchy in listing of authorities and regulations. Many areas of U.S. waters have overlapping jurisdictions and a given ocean space may be managed under different authorities for different intents. As such, it may show that a given ocean area regulates a certain activity (e.g. commercial fishing) under one authority while prohibiting that same activity under a different authority. This application is intended to show all regulations that apply to a given ocean area and does not impose an order on how these regulations apply.

Most marine managed areas allow a wide range of recreational uses. However, this application focuses specifically on the kinds of extraction activities that are restricted or prohibited by law in U.S. waters. While not the focus of this effort, details on these kinds of uses and recreational opportunities may be found through the website links provided for each managed area.

• Boundaries are approximate. Because GIS projection and topology functions can change or generalize coordinates, the spatial boundaries depicted are considered to be approximate representations and are not an official record for the exact regulated area boundaries.
• Not intended for enforcement purposes. Data are provided as a guide and for informational purposes only, as site boundaries and restrictions may not be up-to-date.
• Regulations are summarized. The information on restricted activities is a distilled summary and does not represent the complete official regulations as cited in the legislative code. Users must refer to the official legislative code (link provided) for the complete official description of regulations and restrictions.
• Multiple restrictions may apply at once. Areas and their related restrictions are not listed in a hierarchical order based on level of restrictions. In areas where there are discrepancies among regulations across varying jurisdictions, it should be assumed that the most restrictive regulations apply.
• Only marine (saltwater/coastal) areas are included. Boundaries and regulations for Inland managed areas are not included in this application.
• Conservation Focus. Areas managed for extraction of natural living resources like fishing and take are the focus of this application. Military closures, vessel traffic areas and areas managed for mainly for recreational and industrial uses may not be included unless they also manage extraction in some form.

One of the most important and effective tools to uncover and prevent marine pollution is the U.S. Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (“APPS”), which allows a whistleblower, whether a U.S. citizen or a foreign national, that gives information on marine pollution to potentially collect up to half of any fine collected upon successful conviction. Another important tool used to protect marine areas and related wildlife is the Lacey Act, which imposes monetary penalties on individuals and companies for trafficking in certain fish, wildlife, and plants that were illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of U.S. law, including through IUU fishing. The Lacey Act also provides for whistleblower rewards based on the monies collected by the federal government as a result of the whistleblower’s information.

The National Whistleblower Center (“NWC”) works with whistleblowers, including wildlife whistleblowers, who report potential violations of APPS and wildlife laws such as the Lacey Act through the operation of the National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund (“NWLDEF”) Whistleblower Legal Assistance Program. NWC is a U.S. non-partisan, nonprofit organization that has worked for over thirty years to promote whistleblower rights and protections through litigation, legislative advocacy, and public education. NWC was a grand prize winner in the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, which was a USAID initiative in partnership with National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, and TRAFFIC.

NWC’s secure and confidential reporting system allows whistleblowers to confidentially disclose potential wrongdoing to staff attorneys at NWLDEF, who will review their claims. The Whistleblower Legal Assistance Program connects whistleblowers in search of competent counsel to attorneys that handle whistleblower cases across the nation. Although neither NWC nor NWLDEF’s staff attorneys represent you unless you have signed a formal written representation agreement, all communications with NWLDEF are considered confidential under the attorney-client privilege.

If you are a whistleblower and wish to disclose potential wrongdoing or retaliation, you can submit a free, confidential report here. If you do not wish to submit this form online, you may print it out, fill in the answers and send it via postal service to:

NWLDEF
P.O. Box 25090
Washington, DC 20027

Please note, any materials submitted by mail to the NWLDEF cannot be returned.