Image Credits: Noaa.

NOAA Staff Have Been Busy Installing Mooring Buoys for Public Use Across America

7/3/2025 - By sanctuaries.noaa.gov. Mooring buoys are a vital part of the infrastructure in many national marine sanctuaries. These buoys make it safer and easier for boaters, divers, paddlers, and snorkelers to access sanctuary sites—while protecting sensitive resources like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and historic shipwrecks from anchor damage. Across the sanctuary… SEE MORE
NOAA and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researchers prepare a new real-time weather buoy for deployment in Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: NOAA

Sentinels of the Lake: How Data Buoys Increase Safety and Support Communities of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan

5/23/2025 - By sancturies.noaa.gov. Just off the shores of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the Shipwreck Sentinel quietly bobs in the waves—one of many data buoys deployed across the Great Lakes. Sitting within the waters of Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, this data buoy provides valuable information used by fishers, boaters, and surfers alike.… SEE MORE
Navigation Aid, buoy, in the fog. Photo by Andrew Marek/Shutterstock

Navigation Markers Targeted for Removal by U.S. Coast Guard — Here’s How to Weigh In

5/7/2025 - Coast Guard proposing the removal of 350+ navigation aids (NY to Maine). Public comment deadline: June 13, 2025 By US Harbors The U.S. Coast Guard has proposed eliminating more than 350 navigational aids—buoys, daymarks, and lights—along the Northeast coast, from New York to Eastport, Maine. These changes are part of… SEE MORE
The NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Buoy Team performs maintenance on boundary buoys for Carysfort Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area. Photo: Brittany Torres/NOAA

Buoyed by the Mission: The People and Work Behind Your Florida Keys Mooring Buoys

4/1/2025 - By sanctuaries.noaa.gov. A program in Hawai‘i is trying to increase food security and reduce food waste by using every part of the fish, from bone marrow to blood lines—even making the skin into leather! One thing all Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Buoy Team members have in common is a love of… SEE MORE