On The Water: 'Strong Currents' Advance Hudson Canyon Protections

NEW YORK — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced it will launch the designation process to name the Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary.

The move has long been championed by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. In April of this year, she sent a letter to NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad calling on the agency to name the Hudson Canyon in the New York Bight as a National Marine Sanctuary.

"The marine waters off the coast of New York and New Jersey sustain a world-class metropolitan region, a rich maritime history, highly productive fisheries and a rich diversity of marine life, thus deserving recognition and protection as a national treasure," Gillibrand told NOAA. "An NMS off our coast will provide a special place for use and enjoyment today, while securing an ecological legacy for generations to come. I encourage you to consider initiating the public process for designation of Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary. This is a once in a generation opportunity for NOAA to deepen the connection of 20 million New Yorkers to our treasured ocean resources."

The sanctuary would be the first National Marine Sanctuary designation in deep waters off the Mid-Atlantic Coast.

The Hudson Canyon is located offshore about 100 miles southeast of the Statue of Liberty. The undersea geographic formation is the largest canyon off the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and one of the largest submarine canyons in the world.

The Hudson Canyon is a key habitat for hundreds of species. The proposed sanctuary would encompass an ecologically rich area near one of North America's most populated coastlines and in the process, protect deep sea coral, marine mammals, fish, marine turtles and seabirds, as well as other species essential to fisheries like squid, crab and tuna.

"I am so pleased to see that NOAA has begun the process to designate Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary," Gillibrand said in a statement cheering the NOAA announcement. "This designation would be critical to protecting the diverse marine life within Hudson Canyon, and I look forward to seeing the process through to completion. Safeguarding these ecosystems is of paramount importance, especially with the rising threat of climate change, and I will continue working to ensure that New York’s natural treasures are preserved for future generations."

Under the National Marine Sanctuary designation, the Hudson Canyon would receive increased funding for environmental protection for the ecologically rich stretch of biosphere in New York ocean waters. The area would be permanently closed to oil, gas and mineral exploration. Sanctuary designation will, however, allow for tapping into offshore wind energy sources in an ecologically responsible manner that won’t cause harm to the state’s oceanic ecosphere.

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