For 40 years, America’s national marine sanctuaries have worked to protect sites ranging from a Civil War shipwreck to coral reefs and tiny atolls. NOAA has announced that beginning this week the American public can now nominate nationally significant marine and Great Lakes areas as potential new national marine sanctuaries.
The announcement was made by John Podesta, counselor to President Obama, during Capitol Hill Ocean Week. The community-based nomination process responds to numerous requests for new sanctuaries from interested communities and stakeholders around the country.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Act directs NOAA to identify, designate, and protect marine areas of special national significance. The public’s involvement in nominating new sanctuaries will help NOAA in this mission and support the administration’s goals of ensuring healthy coastal communities and economies.
This announcement will not result in the automatic designation of any new national marine sanctuaries. However, the nomination process will result in an inventory of areas NOAA will consider for national marine sanctuary designation, taking into account input and support from various local, regional and national interests and organizations. Consideration also will be based on a proposed area’s national significance and the feasibility of managing it.