Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), designated in 1992, is a federally protected marine area offshore of California's central coast. Stretching from Marin to Cambria, MBNMS encompasses a shoreline length of 276 miles and 6,094 square miles of ocean, extending an average distance of 30 miles from shore. At its deepest point, MBNMS reaches down 12,713 feet (more than two miles). It is our nation's eleventh marine sanctuary and its largest--larger then Yosemite or Yellowstone national parks.
Supporting one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, it is home to numerous mammals, seabirds, fishes, invertebrates and plants in a remarkably productive coastal environment. MBNMS was established for the purpose of resource protection, research, education and public use of this national treasure. MBNMS is part of a system of 13 national marine sanctuaries and Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.