Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument is an American national monument in the Atlantic Ocean off Massachusetts 113 nautical miles (approx. 210 kilometers) southeast of Cape Cod . It was designated by President Barack Obama by a Presidential Proclamation on September 15, 2016 with an area of 4913 square miles (12,720 km 2 ). The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument consists of two parts. The Canyons Unit with the three underwater canyons Oceanographer , Gilbert and Lydonia with a surface area of 941 square miles (2,440 km²). The Seamounts Unit with the four Seamounts ( deep sea mountains ) Bear , Mytilus , Physalia and Retriever with an area of 3972 square miles (10,300 km²). The protected area has been designated as a hotspot of biological diversity, as a habitat for numerous rare and endangered species and as a valuable scientific and historical site. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is the first and only US National Monument in the Atlantic.
Administration and Impact
The Northeast canyons and seamounts National Monument is under the administration of the United States Department of the Interior and from the United States Department of Commerce . The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service are expected to prepare a management plan for the area within three years.
Recreational fishing is permitted within the confines of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument . The red crab and lobster fisheries are allowed for another seven years to allow these fishing fleets to change their work. Other commercial fishing companies have 60 days from the designation of the protected area to leave the area.
The use of the protected area for the military was not restricted.
Animal species
Among the marine species in the reserve are Deep-sea Red Crab , American lobster , whale , Finnwaln , sei whale and Kemp's ridley sea turtle . There are also deep-sea corals and other deep-sea species that live at a depth of approx. 4,000 meters and are very sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances such as trawling and seabed mining or deep-sea mining.
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument litigation
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument only protects 40% of the originally proposed area. This area reduction came about due to massive resistance from the fishing industry. The five commercial fishing associations of Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association , Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association , Long Island Commercial Fishing Association , Garden State Seafood Association, and Rhode Island Fishermen's Alliance brought the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument's designation to the District Court for the early March 2017 District of Columbia . They stated that President Barack Obama did not have the right to designate the National Monument. A legal document released on March 29, 2017 stated that fishermen do not want restrictions on their industries, arguing that the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument is illegal and harmful to their businesses. On October 5, 2018, a judge ruled the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument compliant and dismissed the lawsuit.
Web links
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (official site )
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Presidential Proclamation - Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
- ↑ FACT SHEET: President Obama to Continue Global Leadership in Combatting Climate Change and Protecting Our Ocean by Creating the First Marine National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean
- ↑ THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant intervenor Applicants' Motion to Intervene
- ^ Judgment
- ↑ A Federal Court Just Upheld an Oceanic National Monument Obama Created