National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa

To protect the rich culture and natural resources of American Samoa. The sanctuary is the only true tropical reef within the National Marine Sanctuary System, and is thought to support the greatest diversity of marine life in the sanctuary system. The sanctuary protects extensive coral reefs, including some of the oldest and largest Porites coral heads in the world, along with deep-water reefs, hydrothermal vent communities, and rare marine archaeological resources.

Species of Concern: Corals (Scleractinia); Sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae)

Restrictions

The following activities are prohibited:
1. Introducing or releasing introduced species from within or into the sanctuary.
2. Anchoring a vessel.
3. Deserting a vessel aground, adrift, or at anchor.
4. Leaving harmful matter on an abandoned or deserted vessel or structure.
5. Operating a vessel at a speed exceeding three knots when closer than 200 feet (60.96 meters) of another vessel displaying a dive flag.
6. Operating a vessel in a manner which causes the vessel to strike or otherwise cause damage to Sanctuary resources.
7. Diving, snorkeling, or conducting diving or snorkeling operations from a vessel not in compliance with applicable U.S. Coast Guard navigation rules governing the display of lights and signals, and not flying in a conspicuous manner the international code flag alpha “A” or the standard red-and-white U.S. “diver down” flag.
8. Discharging, or depositing from within or into the Sanctuary, any material or other matter, except clean vessel deck wash down, clean vessel engine cooling water, clean vessel generator cooling water, clean bilge water, anchor wash, or vessel engine or generator exhaust.
9. Discharging or depositing from beyond the boundary of the Sanctuary any material or other matter that subsequently enters the Sanctuary and injures a Sanctuary resource or quality, except those listed above.
10. Sand mining, dredging, filling, dynamiting, or otherwise disturbing or altering the seabed.
11. Removing, damaging, or tampering with any historical or cultural resource.
12. Taking any marine mammal, sea turtle, or seabird within or above the Sanctuary.
13. Using or discharging explosives or weapons of any description. Distress signaling devices, necessary and proper for safe vessel operation, and knives generally used by fishermen and swimmers shall not be considered weapons for purposes of this section.
14. Marking, defacing, or damaging in any way, or displacing or removing or tampering with any signs, notices, or placards, whether temporary or permanent, or with any monuments, stakes, posts, or other boundary markers related to the Sanctuary.
15. Abandoning a structure, material, or other matter on or in the submerged lands of the Sanctuary.

The following activities are prohibited within any unit of the Sanctuary except the Muliāva Unit:
1. Gathering, taking, breaking, cutting, damaging, destroying, or possessing any giant clam, live coral, bottom formation including live rock and crustose coralline algae.
2. Possessing or using poisons, electrical charges, explosives, or similar environmentally destructive methods of fishing or taking.
3. Possessing or using spearguns, including such devices known as Hawaiian slings, pole spears, arbalettes, pneumatic and spring-loaded spearguns, bows and arrows, bang sticks, or any similar taking device while utilizing SCUBA equipment.
4. Possessing or using a seine, trammel, drift gillnet, or any type of fixed net.
5. Disturbing the benthic community by bottom trawling.
6. Additional restrictions apply in specific subunits of the Sanctuary.

Allowed

Fishing that is not inconsistent with the restrictions is allowed with the exception of any actions that degrade, limit, or eliminate Special Management Areas functions, values, and benefits to the public. Surface fishing for pelagic species, including trolling, is allowed in the Aunu'u Unit, Zone B.
All take of marine life must conform to regulations regarding species allowed, size limitations, catch limits, method of capture, and seasons. Temporary closures may apply.