President Obama announces plan to expand Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to six times its current size, making it the world’s largest ocean reserve.
Secretary of State John Kerry convened the State Department’s first “Our Ocean” conference to focus on domestic and international ocean protection issues.
The 2-day conference was attended by Heads of State, Foreign Ministers, policy makers, environmentalists, scientists and entrepreneurs from nearly 90 countries to start developing strategies for protecting the ocean from marine pollution, acidification and overfishing.
By the end of the two days over $800 million from government and private sources was committed to conserve ocean resources for future generations.
Among the countries to announce increased marine protected areas was the Bahamas, the Cook Islands , and Palau who will turn their entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) into a marine protected area with 80% fully protected in a marine reserve and the other areas designated for local and tourism fishing.
Also this week, President Obama announced Tuesday his intent to create the world’s largest marine sanctuary in the central Pacific Ocean, deterring illegal fishing, addressing seafood fraud and preventing illegally caught fish from entering the U.S. marketplace.
“I’m going to use my authority to protect some of our nation’s most precious marine landscapes,” Obama promised at a State Department conference. “We cannot afford to let that happen. That’s why the United States is leading the fight to protect our oceans.”
CLICK HERE for a summary of the Our Ocean Initiatives.
CLICK HERE for a fact sheet on actions the Obama adminstration is taking to protect oceans and coasts.
CLICK HERE to support the Surfrider Foundation in their efforts to ensure “our oceans, waves and beaches are protected and preserved for generations to come.”
