Management & Regulations

aerial view of a rocky coastline

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate and protect areas of the marine environment with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational, or esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries.

Management of national marine sanctuaries has been delegated by the Secretary of Commerce to NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

In managing Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA is guided by the following mission statement:

Mission - To protect the Olympic Coast's natural and cultural resources through responsible stewardship, to conduct and apply research to preserve the area's ecological integrity and maritime heritage, and to promote understanding through public outreach and education.

Sanctuary Boundary Map

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary consists of an area of approximately 3,188 square miles along the coast of Washington state’s rugged Olympic Peninsula. The sanctuary shoreline measures approximately 135 miles, and borders Olympic National Park, Washington Island National Marine Refuge Complex, reservations of the Makah, Quileute, Hoh Indian Tribes and the Quinault Indian Nation. In addition, the sanctuary borders approximately seven miles of the Washington State Seashore Conservation Area.

Authorizing Legislation

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act authorizes the existence of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, describes the purposes and policies of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and provides authorization for appropriations. The National Marine Sanctuaries Act is reauthorized every four to five years, allowing for updating and adaptation as necessary. While the National Marine Sanctuaries Act provides the basis for everything else that follows, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries must also develop regulations, management plans, policies, and operational procedures.

Management Plan

The 2011 Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan, is a comprehensive document that addresses all aspects of sanctuary management. The sanctuary’s management plan describes the objectives, policies, and activities for the sanctuary.

Management Plan Review

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is undergoing a management plan review. The revised management plan will be informed by current issues and knowledge, and will help the sanctuary continue to protect natural and cultural resources. NOAA is inviting the public to help chart the future management and direction of this special place.

Condition Report

The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report provides a summary of resources in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, pressures on those resources, current condition and trends, and management responses to the pressures that threaten the integrity of the marine environment. A sanctuary condition report helps shape priorities for programs and actions.

Regulations

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries regulations are codified at 15 CFR Part 922. Additionally, each sanctuary has its own unique set of regulations.

NOAA Regulated Overflight Restriction Zone

To protect seabirds and marine mammals, federal regulations prohibit disturbing wildlife in the sanctuary by operating aircraft below 2,000 feet, within one nautical mile of the coast and offshore rocks and islands (15 CFR Part 922.152.).

Area To Be Avoided

The Olympic Coast Area-To-Be-Avoided is a voluntary measure that directs large vessel traffic to stay approximately 25 miles offshore of the ecologically-sensitive and dangerous operating environment of the rugged Olympic Coast.

Vessel Traffic Monitoring

The sanctuary has designed a vessel traffic-monitoring program using Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel data.

Regional Management & Coordination

The potential release of oil or other hazardous material from a marine accident is widely seen as the greatest threat to Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary resources and qualities. Prevention of spills is therefore one of the sanctuary’s highest priorities. As a steward of these vitally important natural resources, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary acts as a resource trustee and collaborates with regional partners and user groups to reduce the potential for oil spills and improve contingency planning for spill response. In the event of an emergency, this page will be updated with information pertaining to media inquiries, volunteer opportunities, and other important information. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary regularly collaborates and plans for contingencies with partners across the Pacific Northwest, including tribal partners, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, Air Station Port Angeles & District 13, Region 10 Regional Response Team (RRT) and other federal, state, and local agencies.

Intergovernmental Policy Council

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is entirely encompassed by the traditional harvest areas of the Hoh, Makah, and Quileute tribes, and the Quinault Indian Nation. As sovereign nations, the tribes have treaty fishing rights and co-management responsibilities with the state of Washington for fishery resources and fishing activities within the sanctuary. These common interests and joint authorities led the Hoh, Makah, and Quileute tribes, the Quinault Indian Nation, the state of Washington, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to create the Olympic Coast Intergovernmental Policy Council (IPC) in 2007.

Policy Development

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries conducts strategic and policy planning to provide a framework for the development of plans and policies at both the sanctuary and system level. While this proactive approach to resource management is best, in reality most policies are developed in response to something that has already become a problem. The simple scale of some issues may seem prohibitive (e.g., fishing impacts), while in other cases the newness of an issue makes response difficult since little information may be available about its impacts (e.g., acoustic research, fiber-optic cable installation). Policies are used not only to address issues by themselves, but to provide guidance regarding the use of other management tools, such as marine zoning, permits, and regulations. Sites should, for complex issues or those with broad national implications, work within the guidelines of national policies that have been or are being developed.

Learn more about the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Policy Development regarding resource protection issues.

Permits

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has the authority to issue permits to allow some types of activities that are otherwise prohibited by sanctuary regulations, but which generally present a public benefit by furthering the management and protection of sanctuary resources.

Management Effectiveness

Assessing management effectiveness (the achievement of a planned effort or action) is a critical element of the management of sanctuaries. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries assesses management effectiveness at the national, regional, and individual sanctuary levels through national program assessments and sanctuary management plan reviews.

Federal Agency Consultations

Learn more about how the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries consults with other federal agencies on actions that may affect sanctuary resources.

Government to Government Consultation

Learn more about how the federal government consults with
Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations.