Marine Protected Areas

Introduction

The term "marine protected area" has been in use for over two decades; however, the concept of marine protected areas has been around for centuries. A marine protected area has come to mean different things to different people, based primarily on the level of protection provided by the MPA. Some see MPAs as sheltered or reserved areas where little, if any, use or human disturbance should be permitted. Others see them as specially managed areas designed to enhance ocean use.1 The legal definition of a Marine Protected Area, established by Executive Order 13158, is "any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by Federal, State, territorial, tribal or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein." The order directs federal agencies to "strengthen the management, protection, and conservation of existing marine protected areas and establish new or expanded MPAs" through the creation of "a scientifically based, comprehensive national system of MPAs representing diverse U.S. marine ecosystems."2

There are many different types of MPAs in the United States. For example, U.S. MPAs may include national marine sanctuaries, fishery management zones, national seashores, national parks, national monuments, critical habitats, national wildlife refuges, national estuarine research reserves, state conservation areas, state reserves, and many others. MPAs have different shapes, sizes, and management characteristics, and have been established for different purposes.1

In northern Puget Sound, there is Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and numerous marine protected areas designated by Washington State and local governments.

Padilla Bay is located near Anacortes and was designated a NERR in 1980. It protects over 11,000 acres of extensive seagrass meadows, tidal flats and sloughs, salt marshes, and upland forests and meadows. As a NERR, extensive research, monitoring and education takes place at Padilla Bay: "Major activities at the reserve include characterizing and mapping major plant and animal communities, studying water movement,agricultural/estuarine connections and control of the invasive species Spartina alterniflora and Spartina anglica".3 The San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is less than half the size of Padilla Bay, but is no less important. The San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is composed of eighty-three (83) reefs, rocks, and islands in the San Juan Islands. These islands, totaling almost 450 acres, were set aside to protect colonies of nesting seabirds, and have also been designated by Congress as a wilderness area where seabirds, eagles, and marine mammals will have an undisturbed place to live and raise their young.4

Why MPAs?5

Effective MPA management can help protect and restore various components of the nation's marine environment, including natural ecosystems, biodiversity, habitat, and endangered and threatened species. Managing for one of these elements often means protecting the others. Similarly, to manage endangered or threatened species effectively, the habitat they rely upon must also be preserved.

MPAs also preserve and protect important historical and cultural resources of our marine heritage. These include archeological sites that contain significant cultural artifacts; sunken ships, aircraft, or other vessels; and areas of significance to specific cultures or time periods.

Many social and economic benefits of MPAs derive from the resource protection and high quality environment that effective MPAs can afford. Some of the social and economic benefits include:

• Enhancing non-consumptive uses.
• Maintaining fisheries.
• Providing opportunities for research and education.

Puget Sound and "No Harvest Restrictions" MPAs6

Frequently, the goal of an MPA is to limit or prohibit the harvest of some fish species. In Puget Sound, a geographic harvest restriction authorized by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is either a marine conservation area or a marine preserve, depending on whether harvest is closed to all species or just selected species. Bottomfish Recovery Areas (no harvest of bottomfish requested) have also been designated by San Juan County. Other types of marine protected areas exist in Puget Sound and are managed by a variety of agencies.

Regardless of who makes the designation and what it is called, there are important questions being asked about the effectiveness of no-harvest restrictions. The following two MPA sections are written by Puget Sound scientists who are working to answer these questions. The sections are from the January, 2002 issue of Puget Sound Notes, a publication of the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team. The term "marine reserves" is used throughout the sections to refer to areas with specific harvest restrictions.

The Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team's 2000 Puget Sound Management Plan promotes the use of a variety of marine protected areas to achieve a net gain in marine species and long-term protection of critical habitats. The vision is for a network of MPAs that serve to protect migratory corridors, nursery areas, and representative habitat. The sites should have long-term monitoring plans, provisions for periodic assessments, and a strategy for evaluating effectiveness. Any MPA must continue to acknowledge and uphold tribal treaty rights and co-management roles of affected tribal governments.

References Cited

1. U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of the Interior. Marine Protected Areas of the United States: What is a Marine Protected Area?. <http://mpa.gov/mpadescriptive/whatis.html#Federal%20Register>

2. Federal Register. 2000. Presidential Documents. Executive Order 13158 of May 26, 2000. Volume 65, No. 105. May 31, 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. Padilla Bay,Washington. <http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/nerr/reserves/nerrpadilla.html>

4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. <http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=13532>

5. U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of the Interior. Marine Protected Areas of the United States: What MPAs Provide the Nation.<http://mpa.gov/mpadescriptive/benefits.html>

6. Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team. Puget Sound Notes 46 Jan 2002. This issue's focus: Marine Reserves Marine Reserves. <http://www.wa.gov/puget_sound/Publications/psnotes_pdf/articles/intro.htm>

Back to Top