President Biden must protect and restore Alaska’s troubled oceans Author: Rick Steiner Published February 4
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Print article President Joe Biden’s commitment to protecting 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 (“30x30”) is one of the most significant environmental commitments of his early presidency. A central focus of this long-overdue effort must be Alaska’s vast but troubled offshore waters. Although we have a patchwork of temporary fishery management restrictions in Alaska waters, astonishingly, there are no permanent, comprehensive federal offshore marine protected areas here, such as National Marine Sanctuaries or Marine National Monuments (the inside waters of Glacier Bay National Park are a separate, unique case). The Marine Conservation Institute confirms that although half of all waters in the Pacific Islands region are “strongly protected,” none of Alaska’s waters currently receive such protection. None.
President Joe Biden s commitment to protecting 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 ( 30x30 ) is one of the most significant environmental commitments of his early presidency. A central focus of this long-overdue effort must be Alaska s vast, but troubled, offshore waters.
Although we have a patchwork of temporary fishery management restrictions in Alaska waters, astonishingly there are no permanent, comprehensive federal offshore marine protected areas here, such as National Marine Sanctuaries or Marine National Monuments (the inside waters of Glacier Bay National Park are a separate, unique case). The Marine Conservation Institute confirms that, while half of all waters in the Pacific Islands region are strongly protected, none of Alaska s waters currently receive such protection. None.