Ross Sea marine park announced, but concerns linger over expiry date

58128d8158d9d_558ea2adb0629d53689907258083b54bd3a938f4The world’s largest marine protected area will be created in Antarctica’s waters in an global agreement made in Hobart. “It has been clearly established that fully protecting large parts of the ocean is critical to mitigating the effects of climate change”, he said. Ukraine, China and Russian Federation had expressed concerns in the past, with Russian Federation becoming the final holdout before the deal was made. “The Ross Sea Region [Marine Protected Area] will safeguard one of the last unspoiled ocean wilderness areas on the planet ― home to unparalleled marine biodiversity and thriving communities of penguins, seals, whales, seabirds, and fish”, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. “Seventy-two percent of the MPA will be a “no-take” zone, which forbids all fishing, while other sections will permit some harvesting of fish and krill for scientific research”, the commission explained. There will be a blanket ban on commercial fishing across about three-quarters of that area. Read the rest here 16:28

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