Visualizing Environmental Science

292 CHAPTER 11 The Ocean and Fisheries

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a. Fully protected marine reserves can

limit destruction to critical habitats

such as the Hawaiian breeding grounds

of these humpback whales.

Olympic Coast

Cordell Bank

Gulf of the Farallones

Monterey Bay

Channel Islands

Papahanaumokuakea

Marine National Monument

Thunder Bay

Stellwagen Bank

Monitor

Gray’s Reef

Florida Keys

Flower Garden Banks

Hawaiian Islands

Humpback Whale

Fagatele Bay

(American Samoa)

Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA)

b. Map of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) national marine sanctuary

system, which includes 13 national marine

sanctuaries and one national monument.

recreation, education, fishing, mining of some resources,

scientific research, and ship salvaging.

In 2006, President George W. Bush established

the world’s largest protected marine area when he

designated the northwestern Hawaiian Islands and

surrounding waters—an area almost as large as Cali-

fornia—as a national monument. Now named the

Papah ̄anaumoku ̄akea Marine National Monument, this

protected area is home to more than 7000 species, in-

cluding seabirds, fishes, marine mammals, coral reef col-

onies, and other organisms, approximately one-quarter

of which are found only there.

Like most other countries, the United States recog-

nizes the importance of the ocean to life on this planet.

However, it remains to be seen if the United States and

other countries will make a strong commitment to pro-

tecting and managing the global ocean.

1. Which international treaties aim to protect
   ocean resources?


2. What three strategies does the U.S. Commission
   on Ocean Policy recommend?

that rather than focus on a single, narrow goal such as

reviving a specific fish population, ocean management

should focus on preserving the health and function of

the entire marine ecosystem.

One proposed approach that would enhance

ecosystem-based management would be to establish

networks of fully protected marine reserves, within

which no habitat destruction or resource extraction

would be allowed. Currently less than 5 percent of U.S.

marine environments are set aside as fully protected ma-

rine reserves, yet these areas have successfully preserved

threatened habitats and increased populations of ex-

ploited organisms (Figure 11.15a).

The United States has designated national marine

sanctuaries along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico

coasts to minimize human impacts and protect unique

natural resources and historic sites. These sanctuaries in-

clude kelp forests off the coast of California, coral reefs

in the Florida Keys, fishing grounds along the continen-

tal shelf, and deep submarine canyons, as well as ship-

wrecks and other sites of historic value (Figure 11.15b).

NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program administers

the sanctuaries, which, like many federal lands, are man-

aged for multiple purposes, including conservation,

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