Originally Posted on September 16, 2016
The announcement was made at the third Our Ocean conference, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. #OurOcean
Great backgound on this historic Atlantic Marine Monument from Pew Environment here #EIRecommends
a few highlights:
The Monument designation phases out commercial fishing and prohibits other extractive activities such as mining and drilling.
“Science is clear that setting aside biologically important areas can increase resilience as ocean conditions change.”
- Lee Crockett, who oversees the U.S. ocean conservation project at The Pew Charitable Trusts
“The high-quality habitat in this monument supports an extraordinary array of marine life, from corals to whales to seabirds,”
- Peter Baker, who directs Pew’s ocean conservation work in the Northeast U.S
Among the species that call the new monument home are Atlantic puffins, which use the area as part of their wintering grounds—a discovery that scientists made this year.
Kudos to all involved!