Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary is one of only 15 national marine sanctuaries and monuments in the United States and is a unique and pristine habitat worthy of this protection. Gray’s Reef is one of the largest near-shore live-bottom reefs in the southeastern U.S. with a designated boundary covering 22 square miles. National marine sanctuaries are where monitoring and research take place to enhance our understanding of natural and historical resources and how they are changing. They also provide an early warning capability to detect changes to ecosystem processes and conditions.

Gray’s Reef is a popular destination for recreational anglers, boaters and  divers. In 2011, the southern third of the Sanctuary was designated as a protected area for research only. Activities in this research area are limited in order to study and compare the impact of human activities on sanctuary marine resources and to inform future management and conservation strategies.

Marine sanctuaries are located across the country, and thus they offer the opportunity to monitor, observe and investigate the ocean on a local, regional and national scale. Ecosystem resources and their conditions are diverse, offering limitless research and monitoring opportunities. Sanctuaries provide a sense of place that stimulates interest, curiosity and investment about the world and its diverse inhabitants and habitats.

Marine sanctuaries are places where government, academic and citizen scientists work collectively and share information on sanctuary conditions and emerging threats. Work within sentinel sites provides early warning capabilities and advantage over threats by allowing officials to respond quickly and efficiently. These sites are instrumental in helping Gray’s Reef to achieve its collective goal of protecting the nation’s most cherished ocean treasures.