Sanctuary

A sanctuary is a protected area set aside for marine wildlife, with the term applied across legal regimes. In the United States, National Marine Sanctuaries are designated under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act of 1972 and managed by NOAA to protect ecologically or historically important waters, regulating activities such as fishing, oil and gas, dumping, and vessel discharges site by site. Elsewhere, sanctuary describes cetacean and whale sanctuaries and species refuges. Protection levels range from multiple-use management to strict no-take zones; the label alone does not fix the restrictions, which are set by the designating instrument.