Wildlife Management Areas

view of the water

Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are intended to minimize disturbance to sensitive or endangered wildlife and their habitats, such as bird nesting, resting or feeding areas, and turtle nesting beaches. Regulations governing WMAs are designed to provide opportunities for public use while protecting wildlife. These areas often include no-motor zones, idle speed only/no wake zones, and buffer and closed zones.

There are currently 27 WMAs in the sanctuary. Twenty of these areas are co-managed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of their plan for managing backcountry portions of the national wildlife refuges in the Florida Keys. The remaining seven WMAs are under sanctuary management.

Public-access restrictions in WMAs include idle speed only/no wake, no access buffer, no motor, and limited closures, and are marked as such on white and orange information/regulatory cylindrical spar buoys.

 

Map of Sanctuary Marine Zones

Florida Keys National  Marine Sanctuary map

Click on the map to see locations of marine zones within the sanctuary, or view a complete list of all marine zones.

 

A summary of all sanctuary regulations is available online. For the full text of sanctuary regulations, see 15 CFR 922 Subpart P.

 

Other Types of Marine Zones