 |
| FILE - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made during the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013, shows corals on Mytilus Seamount off the coast of New England in the North Atlantic Ocean. |
U.S. President Barack Obama announced Thursday the creation of the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean, preserving nearly 12,950 square kilometers of underwater canyons and mountains off the coast of New England, a northeastern region of the United States.
The president signed a proclamation designating the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument as protected shrines, resulting in a ban on commercial fishing, mining and drilling. A seven year exception will be made, however, for the lobster and red crab industries.
WATCH: Obama on investing in our oceans
"The notion that the ocean that I grew up with is not something that I cannot pass along to my kids and my grand kids is unacceptable. It's unimaginable," Obama said. "If we are going to leave our children with oceans like the ones that were left to us, then we are going to have to act boldly," he added.
Water temperatures in the area of the newly-designated marine monument are expected to warm much more quickly than the global average.
The announcement comes as a third annual conference on protecting the ocean began Thursday in Washington. It is being attended by leaders from more than 20 countries who will announce the creation of their own marine protected areas.
Obama said that since the conference began three years ago, $4 billion have been invested by world governments and philanthropists in protecting more than 5 million square kilometers of public space. "It's probably not enough, but it's a pretty good down payment, Obama said.
Secretary of State John Kerry told conference attendees it is vital that nations do more to protect the world's natural resources. "When you are protecting the environment, there's no final victory. It's an ongoing battle, but we've also learned that there can be final defeat. You can destroy an eco-system," he said.
WATCH: Kerry on polluting our oceans
Environmentalists, such as the Sierra Club, are pleased with the president's proclamation. "By designating the coral canyons and seamounts a new national monument, President Obama is giving this part of the ocean a fighting chance to continue to thrive in the face of a warming climate," said executive director Michael Brune.
Conservation Law Foundation president Bradley Campbell said: "From valleys deeper than the Grand Canyon, to peaks as high as Mount Washington, to the hundreds of diverse and endangered species that call this place home, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is the embodiment of a treasure worthy of such permanent protection."
The fishing industry is strongly opposed to the creation of the monument and it is likely to be opposed by some Republican lawmakers who have been critical of the president's use of executive power to protect public spaces.
 |
| President Barack Obama looks stands at Turtle Beach to speak to the media as he tours Midway Atoll in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. |
0 Comments