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NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary System is a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 629,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The system includes 18 national marine sanctuaries and the Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments.

Designated on September 18, 1992 by NOAA under the authority of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is a federal marine protected area offshore of California's central coast. Stretching from Rocky Point in Marin to Cambria, the sanctuary encompasses a shoreline length of 276 miles and 6,094 square miles of ocean, extending an average distance of 30 miles from shore. The sanctuary is larger than the size of Connecticut, and at its deepest point, extends 12,743 feet deep, more than 2 miles below the sea surface.

Within a remarkably productive marine environment, the sanctuary contains extensive kelp forests, one of North America's largest deep ocean canyons, and an offshore seamount. Its diverse marine ecosystem also includes rugged rocky shores, wave-swept sandy beaches, and tranquil estuaries. Often called the "Serengeti of the Sea," the sanctuary harbors an incredible variety of marine life, including at least 36 species of marine mammals, 180 species of seabirds and shorebirds, 525 species of fishes, and an abundance of invertebrates and algae.

The sanctuary protects nationally significant cultural, archeological, and historic resources. Hundreds of shipwrecks have occurred in the sanctuary, and were a result of the significant maritime exploration and commerce that historically occurred in the region.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was established for the purpose of resource protection, research, education, and compatible human use. Commercial fishing and recreational activities such as diving, kayaking, boating, and surfing are allowed. Activities that could harm the sanctuary's ecosystem health, such as seafloor drilling, ocean dumping, or seabed mining are prohibited.

Resource protection issues in the sanctuary are wide ranging, from pollution and coastal development to wildlife and ecosystem disturbance. While recognizing the many uses of the marine environment along the coastline, staff work to reduce or prevent detrimental human impacts on sanctuary resources through collaborative partner efforts, regulations and permits, emergency response, enforcement, and education.

Sanctuary research and monitoring programs evaluate the status and health of marine species, habitats, and ecosystems; provide critical information to resource managers; and coordinate activities with the array of world-class marine research institutions in the region.