Enviros nominate Aleutian marine sanctuary

A group of environmental organizations led by PEER, or Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, has filed a formal nomination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, requesting that NOAA designate all federal waters around the Aleutian Islands as a national marine sanctuary. A sanctuary designation would make activities within the sanctuary subject to the terms of National Marine Sanctuaries Act, including the need for consultations with federal agencies over environmental impacts and the need for permits authorizing activities such as anchoring a vessel or drilling into the seafloor.

The proposed sanctuary would extend from three to 200 nautical miles offshore the Aleutians, encompassing an area of about 554,000 nautical square miles and becoming one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, according to a PEER press release announcing the sanctuary nomination on Dec. 22.

According to the release, the seas around the Aleutians support one of the world’s largest populations of marine mammals, seabirds, fish and shellfish, but the waters “face serious and growing threats from overfishing; oil and gas development; and increasing shipping with scant protection.” The growing effects of climate change and ocean acidification are aggravating the problems, PEER says.

“The Aleutians are one of the most spectacular and productive marine ecosystems in the world but has been in decline for decades and needs our urgent attention,” said Richard Steiner, a member of the PEER board of directors and a former University of Alaska professor of marine conservation. “If the Obama administration is serious about taking big, bold steps to conserve our oceans, this is the place and this is the time. An Aleutian National Marine Sanctuary would bring integrated, permanent and effective measures to halt further deterioration and begin to restore this extraordinary ocean ecosystem.”

- Alan Bailey