The Atlantic Ocean Has Its First National Marine Monument

President Obama has acted to protect a 4,913-square-mile area off the Massachusetts coast. President Obama has protected more land and water than any other American president.

1 minute read

September 16, 2016, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"President Obama announced the creation of the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean," according to Tovia Smuth.

"The 4,913-square-mile Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is the size of Connecticut and has been called an 'underwater Yellowstone' and 'a deep sea Serengeti,'" according to Smith.

In a separate article, Katie Herzog notes that President Obama's actions "means that commercial fishing will be phased out of the region, and resource extraction such as mining and drilling will be prohibited."

According to Smith, the designation has already sparked strong opposition from representatives of the fishing industry. 

The president's Twitter feed shared his remarks in announcing the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, at the Our Ocean conference in Washington, D.C.

Thursday, September 15, 2016 in NPR

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