De Facto MPAs - NOAA

[ Metadata ] These data provide the spatial boundaries of DeFacto Marine Protected Areas in Hawaiian waters. Downloaded from NOAA De Facto Marine Protected Areas website ( marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/dataanalysis/defacto/ ) by Hawaii Statewide GIS staff, Mar 10, 2025. Projected to Hawaii Statewide GIS standard projection (Nad 83 UTM Zone 4, HARN) and clipped to Hawaii and the Pacific.

DFMPAs cover 3% of the U.S. waters, (0-200 nautical miles offshore), which includes the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Territorial Sea, and state waters. DFMPAs range in size from less than one acre to more than 40,000 km2, though the vast majority is at the smaller end of this spectrum. Most of the small sites were created to provide places for vessels to anchor safely.