noaasanctuaries

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US National Marine Sanctuaries

NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries protect our underwater treasures, covering more than 600,000 square miles from the Florida Keys to American Samoa. sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/jan17/noaa-proposes-two-new-national-marine-sanctuaries.html
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Surf's up! This gray #seal peeks out ahead of a wave crashing at Race Point Beach in @capecodnps, just outside #StellwagenBank National Marine Sanctuary. Gray seals are often spotted within the sanctuary, where they feed on fish, crustaceans, squid, and sometimes even small seabirds! Sometimes employing "social feeding" techniques in which multiple individuals work together to trap a prey item, gray seals are quite the talented hunters. What are some of your favorite ocean predators? Let us know in the comments! #EarthIsBlue #GraySeal #Wave #Surfing #Waves #Pinniped #CapeCod #Ocean #Nature (Photo: Peter Flood)
Happy 25th #anniversary to #FlowerGardenBanks National Marine Sanctuary! Looking something like a burst of celebratory confetti, corals like this one spawn within the sanctuary each year, releasing hundreds of gametes into the water. The warm, sunlit waters of this Gulf of Mexico sanctuary make it a comfy home for hard corals like these, as well as hundreds of other marine species. #EarthIsBlue #birthday #GulfOfMexico #Coral #Nature #Ocean (Photo: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA)
Happy 36th anniversary to #GraysReef and #GreaterFarallones national marine sanctuaries! 🎉 🎂 The misty seascape of California's Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (top) provides breeding and feeding ground for many different species, including blue, gray, and humpback whales, and supports one of the most significant populations of white sharks in the world. Located off the coast of Georgia, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (bottom) protects a dynamic live-bottom reef home to more than 200 species of fish, as well as the only known winter calving ground for the highly-endangered North Atlantic right whale. Happy anniversary to these two sanctuaries, and many thanks to their staff for protecting our ocean's amazing places! #EarthIsBlue #California #Georgia #Anniversary #Birthday #Habitat #Nature #Adventure (Top photo: Matt McIntosh/NOAA; bottom photo: GregMcFall/NOAA)
A living #museum: some sanctuaries, like #ThunderBay National Marine Sanctuary, protect shipwrecks and other historic artifacts. By preserving these resources -- like the wreck of W.G. Mason, pictured here -- we preserve parts of our history. The wrecks of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary represent generations of life on the Great Lakes, and because many of them are accessible via diving and snorkeling, you can experience this history for yourself! #EarthIsBlue #History #GreatLakes #PureMichigan #Shipwreck #MaritimeHeritage #LakeHuron #ShipwreckSunday (Photo: David J. Ruck/NOAA)
Hey guys, what's over there? These sea lions are congregating in the waters of Santa Barbara Island in #ChannelIslands National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary overlaps with @channelislandsnps, and together, the part and sanctuary protect the ecosystems and organisms of California's Channel Islands! #EarthIsBlue #SeaLion #SeaLions #Pinnipeds #Ocean #California #Nature #Animals (Photo: Patrick Smith)
Success for the #SeaOtter! Sea otters were once locally extinct from the #Washington coast, but in 1969 and 1970, 59 sea otters were relocated there from Alaska. These otters have thrived: today more than 1,800 individuals call the Washington coast home! Most of them live in the waters of #OlympicCoast National Marine Sanctuary. Each year, researchers survey the population -- the 2016 census was organized by @usfws and @thewdfw, with assistance from volunteers and staff from the sanctuary, @seattleaquarium, and @ptdefiancezoo. One large raft of over 600 sea otters was observed off the mouth of the Hoh River! #EarthIsBlue #YouOtterBelieveTheyreRecovering #TheyGetByWithALittleKelpFromTheirFriends #TheyGotOtterAlaskaAndNowTheyOtterlyLoveWashington #WeProbablyOtterStopPunningNow #Otter #PNW (Photo: NOAA)
We all work better together: we've proposed the designation of two new sanctuaries, and we want to know what you think! One of the proposed sites is the waters of #LakeMichigan adjacent to #Wisconsin. The site contains 39 known shipwrecks, 15 of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We invite you to comment on the draft management plan that @NOAA teams have carefully constructed for the new site. You can learn more about the proposal, including how to submit comments online, by mail, or at public meetings, at sanctuaries.noaa.gov/wisconsin or the link in our profile. The comment period will be open through March 31st -- we can't wait to hear from you! #EarthIsBlue #History #Conservation #HistoricPreservation #GreatLakes #Shipwreck @nationalregisternps (Photo: Tish Hase)
Happy hump(back) day! 🐋 Humpback #whales, like this one in #HawaiianIslandsHumpbackWhale National Marine Sanctuary, have the longest flippers of any cetacean. (They're roughly one-third the whale's body length!) The leading edge of these lengthy flippers aren't smooth; instead, they have bumps called tubercules on them. These tubercules make the humpback whale flippers more hydrodynamic, increasing humpback whale agility and helping the whales maneuver when catching fish. Researchers are studying this flipper shape to understand how to make more efficient wind turbines! #EarthIsBlue #Science #HumpbackWhale #Whale #Research #Ocean #Hawaii #HumpDay #WhaleWednesday (Photo: R. Finn/NOAA, under NOAA permit #15240)
We've proposed the designation of two new national marine sanctuaries, and we want to know what you think! One of those, seen here, is at #MallowsBay, Maryland, on the tidal #PotomacRiver. The proposed site contains an extraordinary collection of more than 100 known and potential shipwrecks dating from the Revolutionary War through the present. The shipwrecks include the remains of the largest “Ghost Fleet” of #WorldWarI wooden steamships built for the U.S. Emergency Fleet, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to its maritime heritage resources, Mallows Bay is a largely undeveloped landscape and waterscape identified as one of the most ecologically valuable in Maryland. While NOAA’s proposed sanctuary regulations would focus only on the protection of the shipwrecks and associated maritime heritage resources, the structures provided by shipwrecks and related infrastructure serve as habitat for populations of recreational fisheries, bald eagles, and other marine species. Learn more about the proposal and how you can comment at the link in our profile. #EarthIsBlue #Conservation #History #Culture #Shipwreck #WWI #GhostFleet #Nature #Maryland @nationalregisternps (Photo: Marine Robotics & Remote Sensing, Duke University)
Just another day at the office! A curious Galapagos #shark (manō in Hawaiian) approaches @NOAA scientist Dr. Randy Kosaki. Here, Dr. Kosaki and his team are slowly decompressing on their way to a surface from a 300-foot dive at Pioneer Bank in #Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Deep technical dives like this one help the monument's scientists understand deep reef environments, which are often less-studied due to their depth. #EarthIsBlue #GalapagosShark #Diver #Diving #Science #Scuba #Nature #Ocean (Photo: NOAA and Richard Pyle/@BishopMuseum)
Mottled in green, brown, and pink, this giant #clam was spotted in the Fagalua/Fogama'a area of National Marine Sanctuary of #AmericanSamoa. Once nestled into a location on the reef, giant clams remain stationary throughout life, and play a major role in reef community structure. Like corals, giant clams have developed symbiotic relationships with algae called zooxanthellae. In return for shelter, zooxanthellae provide giant clams with nutrients they've photosynthesized! #EarthIsBlue #SamoaSunday #GiantClam #Symbiosis #Partners #Partnership #Invertebrate #Ocean #Nature (Photo: NOAA)
Need a holiday after your holiday? #Travel to one of your national marine sanctuaries to enjoy a variety of recreational activities amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States! Here, a diver explores the wreck of the City of Washington in #FloridaKeys National Marine Sanctuary. Whether you love boating, fishing, diving, snorkeling, or simply enjoying some time on the beach, your national marine sanctuaries are the perfect place to get to know our nation's marine environments while having some major adventures! #Diving #Ocean #Adventure #Nature #Underwater #Vacation #Florida (Photo: David J. Ruck/NOAA)
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