Any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein
US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Glossary - NOAA's State of the Coast (SOTC), Washington, DC, USA 2013. http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/glossary.html, (CoaStormEmr - Amer) {881}