Obama designating marine national monument off coast of New England

THIS underwater oasis is the nation’s newest national monument: Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine, located off the coast of New England. / COURTESY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
THIS underwater oasis is the nation’s newest national monument: Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine, located off the coast of New England. / COURTESY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama today is designating the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England, calling it the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
The monument has “pristine underwater mountains and canyons,” and “will provide critical protections for important ecological resources and marine species, including deep sea coral, and endangered whales and sea turtles,” according to a news release from the White House.
The designation protects 4,913 square miles of marine ecosystems with unique geological features that have been the subject of scientific exploration and discovery since the 1970s, the release said.
Last month, the president expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii by 442,781 square miles, creating the world’s largest marine reserve.

A news release from Rhode Island’s congressional delegation said the new monument encompasses two areas featuring three canyons and four seamounts approximately 150 miles off the New England coast.

U.S. Sens. Jack F. Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. James R. Langevin and David N. Cicilline issued the following statement:

“This decision will create an important sanctuary for marine life, particularly around deep sea corals. It will also have a real effect on important segments of Rhode Island’s commercial fishing industry.

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“From the outset, we urged the administration to make this a transparent decision, based on scientific, economic and public input. While there wasn’t as much community engagement as some hoped for, we made sure concerns from Rhode Island’s fishing industry, state regulators and other stakeholders were heard at the highest level.”

They said fishermen and the state Department of Environmental Management did offer catch data.

They also said the designation includes specific measures that the delegation advocated to ease effects on Rhode Island commercial fishermen – offshore lobster and red crab fisheries will have seven years of continued fishing in the area, and there will be a two-month transition for others.

“Designating a marine national monument off New England is a new chapter that opens exciting opportunities for ocean conservation, research and exploration. The federal government must now assume responsibility for managing, exploring and studying this protected area. This should be an endeavor that enlists the expertise of institutions like the University of Rhode Island, as well as the fishermen who know these areas best,” they stated.

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