Marine Protected Areas of Hawaii

Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, are places that receive special management that protect specific resources. In most cases these include popular tourist sites, areas of biological, cultural and/or historical significance, or areas set aside as biological reserves that help maintain important resources by preventing particular activities such as harvesting of marine organisms or artificial feeding. In recent years, primarily due to the failure of conventional management practices to promote sustainable fisheries, MPAs have become an increasingly important tool for marine fisheries in both temperate and tropical seas.

The goals of this section are to provide information on the location, regulations, and research on MPAs in the State of Hawai'i. Additional information on MPAs throughout the world are also provided.

• MPAs in Hawai'i
• MPA research in Hawai'i
• Coral reef MPA links
• Other MPA links
  • Pacific Ocean Conservation Network's Scientific Advisory Panel on Marine Reserves
  • California Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Marine Reserve Advisory Council
  • Marine Protected Areas of the United States
  • No-take Reserve Networks: Protection for Fishery Populations and Marine Ecosystems a recent article on MPAs by leading scientists
  • MPANews: free, monthly newsletter that reports on the planning and management of marine protected areas.