Announced November 1, 2021:

For 50 years, U.S. marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments have protected areas with special ecological, cultural and historical significance. Each of the 16 stamps on the pane features a photograph from a site that is part of the National Marine Sanctuary System, showcasing just some of our nation’s precious natural treasures. A map of the National Marine Sanctuary System is printed on the back of the pane. Art director Greg Breeding designed the pane using existing photographs and a newly illustrated map.

Additional information will be posted below the line, with the newest at the top.

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Scott Catalogue Numbers:
5713 National Marine Sanctuaries pane of 16
a. (60¢) Balloon fish
b. (60¢) Red-footed boobies
c. (60¢) Humpback whale
d. (60¢) Sea stacks
e. (60¢) Mallows Bay-Potomac River Marine Sanctuary at sunset
f. (60¢) Farallon Islands
g. (60¢) Elkhorn coral
h. (60¢) Hawaiian monk seal
i. (60¢) Queen angelfish
j. (60¢) Sea otter
k. (60¢) Young rockfish exploring reef
l. (60¢) Atlantic sea nettle
m. (60¢) Sea lions
n. (60¢) Sand tiger shark
o. (60¢) Corals and fish, Rose Atoll
p. (60¢) Ice on shoreline of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
q. As #5713, imperforate
r. As #5713a, imperforate
s. As #5713b, imperforate
t. As #5713c, imperforate
u. As #5713d, imperforate
v. As #5713e, imperforate
w. As #5713f, imperforate
x. As #5713g, imperforate
y. As #5713h, imperforate
z. As #5713i, imperforate
aa. As #5713j, imperforate
ab. As #5713k, imperforate
ac. As #5713l, imperforate
ad. As #5713m, imperforate
ae. As #5713n, imperforate
af. As #5713o, imperforate
ag. As #5713p, imperforate

Ceremony Information:

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Explore the Beauty of Marine Sanctuaries Through Forever Stamps

What: California sea lions, a sand tiger shark and the Farallon Islands are just a few examples of the abundant wildlife and diverse ecosystems that can be found throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System. The U.S. Postal Service celebrates these important treasures in the upcoming Marine Sanctuaries Forever stamps.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the pane using existing photographs. A map of the National Marine Sanctuary System illustrated by Todd M. Detwiler is printed on the back of the pane.

The first-day-of-issue event for the Marine Sanctuaries Forever stamp is free and open to the public.

News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag#NationalMarineSanctuariesStamps.

Who: William D. Zollars, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors

When: Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET

Where:
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center
35 Pacific Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at:usps.com/nationalmarinesanctuaries.

Background: The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the nation’s underwater treasures with the release of the National Marine Sanctuaries stamps. For 50 years, U.S. national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments have protected areas with special ecological, cultural and historical significance.

The 16 new Forever stamps showcase the abundant wildlife and diverse ecosystems that can be found throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System.

The stamps include photographs taken by Daryl Duda, Michael Durham, Mark Sullivan, Peter Turcik, Norbert Wu, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees Wendy Cover, Jeff Harris, Elliott Hazen, Joseph Hoyt, Ed Lyman, Greg McFall, Matt McIntosh, G. P. Schmahl and Kate Thompson.

Updated July 7^th:
Here are the first-day cancels for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 1.84″ x 1.28″ The B&W pictorial postmark measures 1.95″ x 1.13″

Updated July 1^st:
Courtesy David Rupert of the USPS in Denver:

The stamps in the first row (above) include a balloonfish photographed by Daryl Duda in Florida Keys National National Marine Sanctuary, followed by a pair of red-footed footed boobies photographed by Mark Sullivan in The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The next two stamps feature images captured by staff photographers for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Elliott Hazen photographed the breaching humpback whale in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and Matt McIntosh photographed the sea stacks in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

In the second row (above), the first stamp features a photograph of Mallows Bay–Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary at sunset taken by Peter Turcik. Norbert Wu photographed the images shown on the next two stamps: the Farallon Islands, a refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that is surrounded by waters protected as part of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and elkhorn coral in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Hawaiian monk seal on the final stamp was photographed in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary by Ed Lyman, NOAA.

The stamps in row three (above) offer an image of a queen angelfish taken by G. P. Schmahl, NOAA, in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, followed by a sea otter photographed by Norbert Wu in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. On the next stamp, young rockfish explore the reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary in an image captured by Joseph Hoyt, NOAA. Atlantic sea nettles like the one on the last stamp, photographed by Michael Durham, can be found in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

All of the stamps in the final row feature images captured by NOAA staff photographers. Jeff Harris photographed the sea lions in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and Greg McFall photographed the sand tiger shark in Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. The photograph of Rose Atoll, part of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, was taken by Wendy Cover, and Kate Thompson captured the image of an icy shoreline in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Updated June 30^th from the Postal Bulletin:

On August 5, 2022, in Santa Cruz, CA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the National Marine Sanctuaries stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 16 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 16 stamps (580500). These stamps will go on sale nationwide August 5, 2022, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The National Marine Sanctuaries pane of 16 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

For 50 years, U.S. national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments have protected areas with special ecological, cultural, and historical significance. The 16 stamps on the National Marine Sanctuaries pane showcase the abundant wildlife and diverse ecosystems that can be found throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System. Art director Greg Breeding designed the pane with existing photographs. A map of the National Marine Sanctuary System illustrated by Todd M. Detwiler is printed on the pane verso.

No automatic distribution

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at store.usps.com/store/home. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – National Marine Sanctuaries Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by December 5, 2022.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: National Marine Sanctuaries Stamps
Item Number: 580500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 16 (16 designs)
Issue Date & City: August 5, 2022, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Existing Photos
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 16
Print Quantity: 38,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Stamp Orientation: Square, Horizontal, Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 0.84 in./36.068 x 21.336 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.98 in/39.624 x 24.892 mm
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.336 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.892 x 39.624 mm
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 0.84 in./21.336 x 21.336 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 0.98 in./24.892 x 24.892 mm
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 1.42 in./36.068 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 1.56 in./39.624 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6.375 x 7.25 in./161.925 x 184.15 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 12.875 x 21.75 in./327.025 x 552.45 mm
Plate Size: 192 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header “National Marine Sanctuaries” • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2021 USPS • USPS logo • Barcode (580500) in lower left corner of pane • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text • National Marine Sanctuaries map

Updated April 21^st:

These stamps will be issued August 5 in Santa Cruz, Calif., the home of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, known as “the Whale Museum.”