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On January 6, 2009, just two weeks before his term would end, President George W. Bush designated nine sites in the central Pacific as "marine national monuments." The sanctuary, spanning more than 195,000 square miles, will be the largest marine preserve in the world. When combined with the 140,000 square miles of ocean around the Hawaiian Islands Bush declared a sanctuary in 2006, this latest preserve means that he will have protected more ocean territory than any other person in history.
It is a move that has been universally applauded by scientists and environmentalists around the world. The newly protected areas, including the Mariana Trench, northern Mariana Islands, the Rose Atoll in American Samoa and other remote islands, is considered one of the most pristine regions of ocean in the Pacific. James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Issues, explained that "Because these areas are pristine it gives us the best opportunity to understand effects in the ocean system."
In most of the areas, commercial fishing and oil exploration will be restricted within a 50-mile radius of the preserves and indigenous, research, and recreational fishing will be limited to a per-case basis. Still, some environmentalists are holding their praise for the plan until the full details of how the preserves will be managed are released.
Certainly, it's a step in the right direction towards protecting the world's fragile ocean ecosystems.
Get more of the latest environmental news in Focus Earth: January 10, 2008: Ocean Protection and Coal Ash Update.
Read more about the oceans:
To Support the Oceans, Support Oceana
Save Our Oceans for World Water Day: 10 Ways
Focus on Focus Earth: Oceans in Peril
Our Oceans Are Dying and We're At Fault
Oceans around Antarctica Absorbing Less CO2
The 10 Solutions to Save the Oceans
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