The U.S. also protects cetaceans and their habitat through the designation of national marine sanctuaries, authorized under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. National marine sanctuaries, as well as marine national monuments, manage and protect designated areas of the nation’s oceans and Great Lakes and provide habitat for multiple cetacean and other protected species. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves at the trustee for the National Marine Sanctuary System encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 13 national marine sanctuaries and the Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, one of the 13 designated sanctuaries, was designated specifically to protect humpback whales that occur in Hawaiian waters during their breeding/calving season during the winter months. Other sanctuaries provide important habitat for other large and small cetaceans. More information on the National Marine Sanctuary System is available online at: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/
The U.S. also protects cetaceans and their habitat through the designation of national marine sanctuaries, authorized under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act