The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was created by Congress in 1992 to protect humpback whales and their habitat in Hawaiʻi. It is administered by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). The sanctuary is located from the shoreline to the 100-fathom isobath (600 ft. depth) in the four island area of Maui; Penguin Bank; and off the north shore of Kauaʻi, the north and south shores of Oʻahu, and the north Kona and Kohala coast of Hawaiʻi Island. Discover marine life and extraordinary habitats that make up your nation's marine sanctuaries and our continuing efforts to conserve these ocean and coastal treasures.

The sanctuary is jointly managed via a cooperative federal-state partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawaiʻi through the Department of Land and Natural Resources.