Connecticut Delegation Urges President Obama to Designate New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts as First Ever Atlantic Marine National Monument

WASHINGTON, DC (August 4, 2016) — The Connecticut Congressional Delegation today urged President Barack Obama to designate the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts as the nation's first ever Atlantic marine national monument.

The letter, signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-01), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Jim Himes (CT-04), and Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), urges the President to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to preserve and protect the unique environmental treasure.

The New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts lies about 150 miles off the coast of New England along the continental shelf, and is an area of immense natural diversity. The area is home to at least 73 different species of deep sea coral, countless sharks, whales, dolphins, sea turtles and sea birds. The undersea canyons rival the Grand Canyon in size and scale, and the underwater mountains are higher than any east of the Rockies—as high as 7,700 feet from the ocean floor. A map of the proposed monument designation area is available here.

Designation as a national monument would protect the area from damaging commercial activity and ensure proper care and management. The measure would protect countless species from irreversible damage, help make the ocean more resilient to climate change, support economic activity reliant on the health of the ocean, advance research, and preserve natural history.

"The New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts area, a pristine hotspot of diverse and fragile wildlife and habitats, is deeply deserving of this designation, and we urge you to employ your authority under the Antiquities Act to protect this area…This area is just as precious as any national park, and its riches just as priceless," the letter states.

The full letter is available here.