The NOAA MPA Inventory represents a collection of data compiled from various federal, state, tribal and territorial entities to provide a publicly available source of comprehensive information on place-based marine conservation efforts under U.S. federal, state, territorial, local, and tribal jurisdiction.

This dataset represents US states and equivalent territorial units which have at least one coastal border.

These data show the geographic representation of Federal and State Waters for the purpose of display in the MarineCadastre.gov OceanReports application. The boundary between state and federal waters was determined by consulting The Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. §§ 1301 et seq.), 48 U.S.C. §§ 1705 and The Abandoned Shipwreck Act (43 U.S.C. §§ 2101). Some boundary delineations based on the SLA were approximated in this data set, including areas in Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington State. Although state boarders do not extend over water, it was necessary to approximate these borders to produce this data set. The boundaries depicted in this data set are for visual purposes only. The placement of these boundaries was extrapolated from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Administrative Boundaries as described here http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/05-24659.pdf. The delineation between waters under US sovereign territory jurisdiction and that of federal governance is also approximate. Although based upon legislation, these data do not represent legal boundaries, especially in the case of Navassa Island, The Northern Mariana Islands, Baker Island, Howland Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Wake Islands and Jarvis Island.The seaward limit of this data set is the boundary of the 200nm US Exclusive Economic Zone. The EEZ is measured from the US baseline, recognized as the low-water line along the coast as marked on NOAA's nautical charts in accordance with articles of the Laws of the Sea. These limits are ambulatory and subject to revision based on changes in coastline geometry. This dataset was produced based on an update to the Maritime Limits published in September, 2013. To view the most up-to-date Maritime Limits, please see http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/csdl/mbound.htm. Navassa Island does not have an EEZ around it, so the seaward extent of the federal waters surrounding it were based on the 12 mile offshore boundary of the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge established on the island. All data is displayed in WGS_1984_World_Mercator. Area calculations for all states except Alaska were completed in the same projection. Area calculations for Alaska were completed in Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages a system of sanctuaries and other managed areas around the country. The legal boundaries of These sanctuaries are defined within the Code of Federal Regulations, at 15 C.F.R. Part 922 and the subparts for each national marine sanctuary. The GIS compatible digital boundary files for each national marine sanctuary are representations of those legal boundaries and are based on the best available data. These files are available for public use at locations defined in this metadata record.

These data show the location of ocean observing assets within U.S. waters, and the physical parameters generally collected at each platform or gauge.

These data show the location of aquaculture operations within coastal and offshore waters of the United States. Aquaculture types may include aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants. Records were acquired from multiple sources, however source data was not available from all coastal states.

These data represent the boundaries of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) eleven regional associations (RAs). There are thousands of ocean observing tools in use every day-satellites in orbit, gliders, buoys, high-frequency radar, sharks with satellite tags, sensors on the ocean floor, and more operated by different organizations and researchers. IOOS, a national-regional partnership, gathers and integrates many of those data streams and makes those observations compatible and accessible by science, industry, government, and citizens. RAs design regional coastal observing systems to meet the unique needs of the regional environment and stakeholders. The eleven IOOS RAs maintain and operate regional coastal observing systems and develop information products for their users. The RAs provide increased observations, distinctive knowledge, and critical technological abilities, and apply these towards the development of products to meet regional and local needs

These data represent Seasonal Management Area locations where regulations implement speed restrictions in shipping areas at certain times of the year along the coast of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. The purpose of the regulations is to reduce the likelihood of deaths and serious injuries to endangered North Atlantic right whales that result from collisions with ships as designated by 73 FR 60173, October 10, 2008, Rules and Regulations. Sunset clause removed 78 FR 34245, June 16, 2014. The effective date of this rule is December 6, 2013.

The NOAA MPA Inventory represents a collection of data compiled from various federal, state, tribal and territorial entities to provide a publicly available source of comprehensive information on place-based marine conservation efforts under U.S. federal, state, territorial, local, and tribal jurisdiction.