In celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8th and National Ocean Month, the Biden administration announced a series of actions to take to protect our oceans. Among the plans is a proposal for a new marine sanctuary off New York, which is home to Sperm Whales and Sea Turtles.
The plan includes initiating the designation process of a new national marine sanctuary to preserve the Hudson Canyon in the Atlantic Ocean, initiation of efforts to create a U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan, and the phaseout of single-use plastics in national parks and other public lands.
“During National Ocean Month, we celebrate the beauty and bounty of our ocean and reaffirm our commitment to protecting and conserving our marine environments for a sustainable future,” said President Joe Biden.
The marine sanctuary would encompass the Hudson Canyon, a deep underwater valley that is 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The canyon is one of the largest in the world and is 2.5 miles deep in parts and provides shelter for sperm whales, sea turtles, octopuses, and deep-sea corals.
“A sanctuary near one of the most densely populated areas of the Northeast U.S. would connect diverse communities across the region to the ocean and the canyon in new and different ways,” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “As someone who grew up in New York City and went on to a career in ocean science, I am excited about how this amazing underwater environment can inspire shared interest in conserving our ocean.”
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