Nine fully-protected MPAs under the 2024 Marine Spatial Plan

Samoa's Marine Spatial Plan, released 24 October 2024, establishes nine new fully-protected Marine Protected Areas covering about 36,000 sq km (around 30% of the EEZ). Per reporting on the plan, 'Fishing, mining and drilling are outlawed' in these MPAs, which protect species including critically endangered hawksbill turtles, spinner dolphins, blue sharks and humpback whale migration routes. The plan becomes legally operational pending passage of the Biological Diversity Management and Conservation Bill 2024.