Connecticut Congressional Delegation Asks For First Atlantic National Marine Monument

NEW HAVEN, CT—Ahead of a public meeting on the issue, the Connecticut Congressional delegation has written to President Barack Obama asking him to designate the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts Area, off the coast of Cape Cod, as a National Marine Monument. Doing so would make it the first such monument in the Atlantic Ocean. Tonight’s meeting will be hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and participants will discuss possible permanent protections for the area. The letter can be read in its entirety here.

“The New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts Area is a very special and extremely vulnerable area,” the delegation wrote. “It is composed of five submarine canyons (Oceanographer, Gilbert, Lydonia, Nygren and Heezen) off the southern New England coast and the four nearby undersea mountains—the only such seamounts in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean. This suite of underwater features is home to ancient coral gardens and other diverse and fragile habitats. The dynamic ocean environment of the canyons and seamounts attracts an array of ocean wildlife, including whales, sea turtles, fish and seabirds. A number of these species are iconic for the region, such as sperm whales and North Atlantic right whales, and are among those that support New England’s vibrant whale watching, recreational fishing, and seabird viewing industries.”

Connecticut researchers, including those at the University of Connecticut, Mystic Aquarium and Yale University, have been active in the Coral Canyons and Seamounts Area. UCONN and Mystic researchers have been visiting the area for more than 30 years to collect data that is leading to advances in scientific knowledge and understanding. The Peabody Museum at Yale has been the repository for species documented on the seamounts and in the canyons. If the area is protected, Connecticut’s growing biomedical and biotechnological industry will enjoy a wealth of future research opportunities.

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