NOAA National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa

📌 Deadline to apply is June 5, 2026!!

📌 Community Announcement: National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa seeks advisory council applicants

NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa is seeking to fill seats on its advisory council, which represents the public’s interests in sanctuary matters and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent.

The sanctuary is accepting applications for the following seats:
🔹 Tourism
🔹 Community at Large (Aunu’u)

The advisory council is composed of 17 voting members and 8 non-voting members, who serve on a volunteer basis and represent a variety of local user groups, the public, and territorial and federal governmental jurisdictions.

Applications will be accepted through June 5, 2026. Applications not received or postmarked by June 5, 2026 will not be considered. For more information, including a copy of the application, please visit the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa advisory council recruitment webpage: https://americansamoa.noaa.gov/council/recruitment/ or contact Gene Brighouse or email [email protected] with questions.

You’re invited to !
Join us this summer across the National Marine Sanctuary System - from sea to shining sea. Each year, as part of the national "Get into Your Sanctuary" summer activities, we invite photographers to share striking images that capture wildlife, seascapes, maritime heritage, and meaningful connections to these special places through our Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest. The contest runs from May 22 to September 7!

Visit https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/photo-contest.html and follow NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to learn more!

Fagatele Bay in the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa has shown remarkable resilience despite numerous environmental disturbances over the past four decades. Learn more about what surveys performed since 1985 have shown, and why this unique resilience offers hope amid global coral reef declines.

https://coralreef.noaa.gov/digital-corals/stories/jul24/fagatele-bay

NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Last week, National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa staff members Val Brown and Sarah Head boarded the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette to embark on a three week journey around American Samoa. During their first two days aboard, they took part in orientation and emergency safety drills. This voyage will have Val and Sarah conducting fish and benthic surveys alongside researchers from the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) around Tutuila, Ofu, Rose Atoll, and Taʻū. These surveys take place once every three years, and provide a long-standing dataset that aids fisheries and sanctuary management. Sarah is looking forward to seeing Ofu and Taʻū for the first time, while Val is eager to assess the status of the reefs at Rose Atoll and Taʻū, and how they have changed since the 2024 bleaching event.

The NCRMP tri-yearly surveys provide valuable access to sanctuary sites, and allow staff to collect benthic and fish data at our most remote sites.

Photo: Sarah Head and Val Brown stand in front of the bow of the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette (Photo: NOAA).

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands NOAA Ocean Acidification Program

🌊 Happy International Day for Biological Diversity! Did you know that Earth is home to at least 8.7 million unique, identified species? That number may only scratch the surface as many species exist deep in rainforests and oceans, unable to be touched by humans. In fact, the ocean is home to more than half of all life on Earth, yet 80% of our oceans are unexplored and unmapped!

🐟 Scientists depend upon NCEI’s voluminous archive of ocean data to identify new species of marine life. The Census of Marine Life was a ten-year, worldwide effort to record and discover new ocean species, habitats and connections. The Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) was created to organize and share this data. NCEI worked alongside ocean scientists to guarantee that this important ocean data will be archived and shared with scientists now and in the future.

📚 Learn more about how OBIS data was archived and stewarded here: https://bit.ly/4tVOgAv

You may have seen the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette in port at the Pago Pago Harbor, and that's because they are continuing long-term monitoring surveys of coral reef health and ocean condition. American Samoa was last surveyed in 2023, and this will be the tenth visit since 2002.

Check out the flyer in English and Samoan with information about the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring and Assessment Program's mission in American Samoa.

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands NOAA Ocean Acidification Program NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations

🌊 Safe boating supports safe communities, healthy ocean, and livelihoods. American Samoa’s waters provide food, recreation, cultural connection, tourism opportunities, and support for local families and businesses. By boating responsibly, we help protect the resources that our communities rely on every day.

During :
🦺 Wear a life jacket
⚓ Check weather and ocean conditions
🐋 Respect marine wildlife
🗑️ Keep our waters clean

Safe boating helps keep sanctuary waters thriving for future generations.



Photo: NOAA

📋 Public Service Announcement from American Samoa Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources

Stay safe, American Samoa!