Some of the deep-sea corals in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument are more than 4,000 years old, making them some of the oldest known marine organisms. Photo: OceanX Bloomberg
JUNE 4, 2024 (BOSTON, MA) – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released the Final Monument Management Plan for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. It is the first and only marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s known as a refuge for vulnerable wildlife. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement in response to the management plan’s release.
“The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is home to vibrant irreplaceable marine life – it is a place of resilience, refuge, and hope in a warming ocean,” said Jen Felt, Ocean Campaign Director at CLF. “With such a wealth of wildlife, the monument also provides scientists with a living laboratory, which will only grow more valuable as our ocean warms. This plan will provide a much-needed roadmap for safeguarding the region.”
The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts’ final management plan provides the vision and framework needed to properly care for the Monument’s unique ecosystem, marine life, and resources. It also sets critical priorities and goals for managing the Monument into the future.
This week, key ocean advocates and stakeholders are gathering in our nation’s capital to take on the most pressing conservation, science, and management issues facing our ocean for Capitol Hill Ocean Week. CLF is thrilled to see this continued, demonstrated commitment to secure the Monument’s extraordinary biodiversity and cultural resources and advance the goal to conserve and restore at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
The full plan can be found here.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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