President Obama is committing to protecting the ocean and its marine ecosystems with new landmark initiatives and policies including two new marine sanctuaries.
Speaking to the ‘Our Ocean’ conference this week, President Obama said the Administration will create the new marine sanctuaries in the tidal waters of Maryland and Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan waters. He also announced new steps to tackle illegal fishing.
This comes as climate change causes sea levels and ocean temperatures to rise, threatening coral reefs and forcing certain species to migrate. In addition, carbon pollution is being absorbed by the oceans, causing them to acidify, which damages coastal shellfish beds and reefs, altering entire marine ecosystems.
According to the White House, the rate of acidification of our oceans is increasing 10 to 100 times faster than any time in the past 55 million years.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will move forward with the first new National marine Sanctuaries since 2000. In Wisconsin, an 875 square mile area of Lake Michigan, with waters extending from Port Washington to Two Rivers was nominated by the Governor for sanctuary protection. In Maryland, Mallows Bay-Potomac River, a 14 square mile area, will be protected. The Bay is largely undeveloped and has been identified as one of the most ecologically valuable in Maryland providing important habitat for fish and wildlife, including rare, threatened, and endangered species.
To combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud, NOAA and the State Department will increase and expand domestic partnerships and develop a traceability programme to track seafood from harvest to entry into US commerce.
NOAA is also taking new steps to provide data, tools and technical assistance to target illegal fishing by detecting ocean-going vessels using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), a space-based sensor.
Elsewhere, Sea Scout is being launched, a new global initiative that will unite governments and stakeholders worldwide in the fight against IUU through integration of existing and emerging technologies, expanded use of internet-based tools, enhanced coordination and information sharing, and capacity building.
This action builds on other steps the President has taken to protect important marine areas, including designation the Bristol Bay area of Alaska as off-limits to future oil and gas leasing. Last year, President Obama signed a proclamation to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, creating the world’s largest marine reserve off-limits to commercial extraction and protecting one of the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world.
