Marine protected areas

All around the United States, biologically-rich habitats — estuaries, wetlands, coral reefs, mangroves, shellfish beds, bays and sounds — provide feeding and spawning grounds for an abundance of sea life.

These sensitive areas are being damaged or destroyed at alarming rates by coastal development and pollution from fish farming and agriculture. Coral reefs in particular are under siege from pollution, disease and warmer water.

Booming coastal counties are now home to more than half the U.S. population. As more and more people flock to coastal areas, development pressures have spurred more housing, hotels, roads and fish farms to be built, increasingly crowding out critical marine habitat.

Underwater "wilderness areas," called marine protected areas (MPAs), are an important tool to rebuild fish populations and revitalize ocean ecosystems. Such areas are off-limits to offshore oil drilling and mining, and fishing may be restricted or banned.

MPAs can and should be sited in places that does the least economic harm to fishermen and other ocean users while providing the greatest benefits to both users and society at large. Well-designed MPAs are based onthe detailed knowledge that ocean resource users often have at their disposal.

Protected areas throughout the world have shown great promise. Fish are more abundant and larger in MPAs compared to those in nearby fishing grounds, and there is a greater diversity of species. Within protected areas, sensitive coral reefs may better withstand the rigors of warming oceans.