Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA, as required by section 2306 of the Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary Act (the HINMSA or Act), has developed a comprehensive final management plan and implementing regulations for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (the HIHWNMS or Sanctuary). The Sanctuary was designated by Congress in 1992. This document publishes the final Designation Document and final regulations for the Sanctuary, and summarizes the final management plan. The management plan details the goals and objectives, management responsibilities, research and long-term monitoring activities, and interpretive, educational, and resource protection programs for the Sanctuary. The regulations implement the final management plan and govern the conduct of activities consistent with the HINMSA, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA), and the Designation Document for the Sanctuary. The primary purposes of the Designation Document, final regulations and final management plan are to protect humpback whales and their Sanctuary habitat; to educate and interpret for the public the relationship of humpback whales to the Hawaiian Islands marine environment; to manage human uses of the Sanctuary consistent with the HINMSA and the NMSA; and to provide for the identification of marine resources and ecosystems of national significance for possible inclusion in the Sanctuary.