As of January 1, 2026, the Azores Marine Protected Area Network regulations
photo © Sea-Water Amplification (SWA) Atlantic Ocean Azores 2025
As of January 1, 2026, the Azores Marine Protected Area Network regulations (published in 2024) are officially in force – bringing nearly 30,000 km² of ocean under protection in the North Atlantic.
The Network provides full protection for Marine Reserves in an area overlapping Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), seamounts, and Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs). Some MPAs for habitat and species management fall just short of “highly protected” due to permitted purse seining for live bait.
MPAtlas helps make protection transparent, comparable, and evidence-based—tracking not just where MPAs exist, but how they function in practice.
Source: Marine Conservation Institute
