National Marine Protected Areas Center

The National Marine Protected Center was established in 2000 to lead the development of a national system of marine protected areas, as called for in Executive Order 13158.  The MPA Center is a partnership between NOAA and the Department of the Interior to serve as a resource to all federal, state, territorial and tribal programs responsible for the health of the nation's oceans, and is located within NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.