i'm kinda glad i got into this discussion because it has forced me to do some more research. check out this link for some info.
i can see someone reading most of this hoopla and agreeing that this is whats needed to be done, to protect our "ocean wilderness"
but, you must also look for the key words such as
mpa's,
no take marine reserves,
fully protected marine reserves,
even they will admit that this means " no fishing"
http://www.clf.org/advocacy/stellwagen_page.htm
"There is also a "rapidly expanding body of research" on the effectiveness of "fully" protected" no-take" marine" reserves" in enhancing marine ecosystem function and protecting and restoring marine habitats and the biological communities they support. This research strongly supports the establishment of "marine reserves" as essential components of any marine ecosystem management strategy. "
." Conservation Law Foundation strongly believes that "fully" protected", no-take" marine" reserves "should be a central component to any resource restoration and protection strategy which SBNMS implements to meet the "NMSA mandate" of maintaining natural biological communities and protecting, restoring and enhancing “ natural habitats, populations and ecological processes.” Since the designation of SBNMS in 1992, an increasingly large body of scientific research and peer reviewed literature, including that of the National Research Council, the Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and others,{<--- them, they, the ones with the research vesel's} has provided strong evidence for the effectiveness of "marine reserves" in "restoring and protecting marine habitats" and marine biological communities and in providing "undisturbed areas" for scientific research. Scientists from around the world are calling for an expansion of marine reserves worldwide. Currently less than one percent of US waters are fully protected. It is incumbent upon SBNMS to be a leader and pioneer in marine ecosystem management and to" fulfill the mandate" of the NMSA “to create models of…and ways to conserve and manage these areas including the application of innovative management techniques. Indeed, the Florida Keys "National Marine Sanctuary" has blazed the trail for SBNMS to be the next "national marine sanctuary" to employ such an innovative and effective approach to the management and protection of its resources. During SBNMS’s first decade of designation, anthropogenic stresses on this magnificent "marine ecosystem" have increased dramatically. Most of New England’s commercially important fish populations declined to record low abundance levels in the mid-1990s – population levels that "strict "new regulations" are now only beginning to rebuild". SBNMS is home to many of these fish{<---insert sympathy here}
there is important new evidence of a "decline in diversity of fish species" "within the Sanctuary" (Auster 2002)1. And there is increasing evidence of the "destructive impacts" of mobile fishing gear on the seafloor". New industrial uses of the ocean in and around SBNMS for fiber optic cables, gas pipelines and windfarms call for proactive planning to ensure the protection of marine resources and ecological processes within the Sanctuary."
does anyone know what "the sanctuary" means? or how big "the sanctuary" is? {hint it's 842 square miles}