Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary

Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
LocationLooe Key in the Florida Keys
Coordinates24°32′55″N 081°24′21″W / 24.54861°N 81.40583°W / 24.54861; -81.40583 (Looe Key, Florida Keys, Florida)
Area7.04 sq mi (18.2 km2)
DesignatedJanuary 16, 1981 (1981-01-16)
Disestablished
  • November 16, 1990 (1990-11-16) (subsumed; see text)
  • July 1, 1997 (1997-07-01) (integrated; see text)
Governing bodyNOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

The Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary was a National Marine Sanctuary in the waters in the Florida Keys in Florida in the United States that existed from 1981 to 1990. It protected Looe Key, a coral reef south of Big Pine Key. In 1990, it was subsumed by the new Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which included its waters. However, it continued to operate until 1997, when it was fully integrated into the Florida Keys sanctuary.