Tag Archives: marine sanctuaries
Sure, let’s protect the oceans, but we still need to fish – Jim Meek
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are getting as common as hipster sightings along the south end of Agricola Street. Just last week, the world’s largest MPA (600,000 square miles) was announced for Antarctica’s Ross Sea. The new MPA was the result of a multilateral negotiating marathon involving nations that don’t get along — like Russia and the U.S. — so let’s hope it all works out for the environment. Speaking of the Americans, their outgoing president has burnished his legacy by using executive orders to announce two massive “national marine monuments” off Hawaii and New England. By massive, I mean 5,000 square miles of MPA territory. We’re not talking the Sailors’ Monument in Point Pleasant Park here, or the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen. Normally, Americans declare marine sanctuaries instead of marine monuments, but the former would involve pre-consultation with a bunch of noisy people including disgruntled fishermen — who can raise an awful ruckus once they’re riled up. So Barack Obama got around all that “let’s-listen-to-the-people-first” nonsense by declaring marine monuments under a century-plus old piece of legislation called the Antiquities Act. So, you’re asking yourself, who can blame a president for using an executive order or two during his last months in office? New England fishermen, that’s who. Read the op-ed here 11:07
Marine Sanctuaries – Abrolhos Islands fishing ban fails to boost fish population, study finds
Creating a no-take fishing zone in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands has not consistently boosted the populations of some of its most popular fish, a long-term study has found. The research by a group of West Australian scientists challenges the conventional wisdom that marine sanctuaries allow more and bigger fish to flourish. It also raises the possibility that poachers or environmental factors — such as the marine heatwave that affected the area several years ago — are also affecting the populations of fish which are supposed to be protected,,, Read the article here 16:37
NOAA claims visitors to Northern California marine sanctuaries pump $1.2 billion into economy
Visitors drawn to 
along the protected waters off Northern California’s coast pumped more than $1.2 billion into the region, according to a new federal study. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration looked at low-impact recreational visitors to the Greater Farallones and the northern portion of the Monterey Bay marine sanctuary in 2011 and their economic impact on coastal counties including Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin. Conservationists say the data, published last week, highlights the benefits,,, Read the article here. 15:59
US, Chile to announce new marine sanctuaries at “Our Ocean” conference
President Barack Obama will declare new marine sanctuaries in the tidal waters of Maryland and Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Monday, while Chile is expected to block off a more than 200,000 square miles of sea from commercial fishing and oil and gas exploration in an area of the Pacific Ocean near the world-famous Easter Island. The announcements were to be made when top officials, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, attend an international conference on marine protection in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso on Monday. The “Our Ocean” conference,,, Read the rest here 08:36
