What is the National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) program?
The NMS was created by Congress via the enactment of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) of 1972. It provides for the protection of the nation s unique marine resources via designation of the sites that contain these resources as sanctuaries. Florida s original sanctuaries were designated at Key Largo in 1976, and Looe Key in 1981. The Key Largo NMS, approximately 100 square nautical miles in area, was established immediately adjacent to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, joined at the line that delineates between waters of state and federal jurisdictions. The Looe Key NMS is slightly larger than 5 square nautical miles, and located on the Atlantic side of Big Pine Key about 11 miles from shore. In 1990, the President enacted the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) Protection Act, which designated a 2,800 square nautical mile area surrounding the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas islands as a NMS. Upon adoption of the FKNMS Management Plan, the
