Blumenthal and 18 of his colleagues - including Sen. Since its designation, the protections for the monument have been challenged, and last summer, an executive order from President Trump lifted the restriction on commercial fishing, reopening this fragile area to destructive practices. President Obama designated the canyons and seamounts as a marine national monument in 2016, drawing on research showing the biological richness and fragility of the area. Establishing this marine protected area conserves biodiversity and provides a refuge for ocean wildlife, particularly in the face of climate change. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) submitted a proposal with large support across the New England congressional delegation to President Obama, urging him to protect the area from harmful activities such as offshore oil and gas drilling, deep seabed mining and commercial-scale fishing. In 2016, we worked together with regional collaborators such as University of Connecticut and Conservation Law Foundation to build a strong case for setting aside this area as a Marine National Monument. Scott Kraus spent decades studying the region. Peter Auster and New England Aquarium’s Dr. Species that frequent the monument include a vast array of whales, dolphins, seabirds and sea turtles, as well as large predatory fish such as tuna, billfish, swordfish and sharks.

Roughly the size of Connecticut, this region is renowned for its biodiversity, including long-lived, deep-sea coral communities and large concentrations of marine wildlife, including endangered deep-diving sperm whales and critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is located approximately 130 miles off the coast of New England and includes four undersea mountains and three undersea canyons. Because of this, New England’s rich marine life will be better protected from human activity, including the impact of climate change. This month, President Biden took such action by restoring protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the only marine monument in the U.S. We need bold action from our global leaders to address the current biodiversity and climate crisis, a threat that can no longer be spoken of in the future tense.

Marine aquarium 3 music