Nearshore Flights Within the MBNMS

Pilots: Know Before You Go!

In 1992, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established a minimum altitude disturbance threshold for federally protected marine mammal and seabird communities within four specific nearshore areas of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.Flying motorized aircraft below the 1000-foot minimum altitude threshold within these zones violates a federal wildlife disturbance prohibition. However, the overflight prohibition zones have not been depicted on past aeronautical charts. Similar prohibitions exist in other national marine sanctuaries along the west coast.

NOAA has worked closely with the FAA to provide new notices on the charts that inform pilots about sanctuary overflight zone regulations. All applicable aeronautical charts will be updated between June and August 2012 to reflect these notices.

For more information about the aeronautical chart revisions, click here.

For a list of "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" about overflight regulations and zones of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, click here.