Executive Order 13158: Marine Protected Areas
President: Bill Clinton
Directed federal coordination and an inventory of marine protected areas; it did not designate new sites by itself.
Status: Superseded. Is Executive Order 13158 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13158 was superseded. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13158 do?
EO 13158 directed agencies to coordinate marine-protected-area information, develop a national system and consider protection where appropriate and practicable under existing authority. It did not itself designate any new MPA. NOAA continues to publish the National System and an inventory. EO 13708 continued the MPA Federal Advisory Committee in 2015; EO 13805 superseded EO 13708 in 2017. That committee history concerns the advisory body, not a blanket extension of every EO 13158 provision.
Later evidence reviewed October 2, 2026: NOAA continues to publish the MPA system and inventory. EO 13708 and its 2017 supersession concern the advisory committee; neither itself designated MPAs.
Before and after
Before the order
US marine protected areas formed a fragmented collection without a shared national inventory and coordinating system.
After the order
Agencies and non-federal partners could use common data, conservation objectives and management tools.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Commerce and Interior | Develop and maintain the national system and inventory | Continuing |
| Federal agencies | Avoid harm and consider protection under existing authority | Continuing |
| MPA Center | Provide science, data and management tools | Continuing |
What happened next
EO 13158 signed.
Published in the Federal Register.
NOAA’s current system and later committee orders reviewed.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
EO 13158 relied on existing agency authorities, appropriations and voluntary coordination. Area designation requires action under the applicable statute or authority. NOAA’s current inventory demonstrates an ongoing program, not that every original committee provision remains in force.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — EO 13158 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- NOAA — National MPA Center FAQ (opens in a new tab) Official record
- NOAA Ocean Service — marine protected areas (opens in a new tab) Official record
- NOAA — MPA inventory service (opens in a new tab) Official record
- NOAA — National System FAQ (opens in a new tab) Official record
- GovInfo — EO 13708 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- GovInfo — EO 13805 (opens in a new tab) Order text
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →