When rare, threatened areas of the ocean are protected, there is global reason to celebrate. The John G. Shedd Aquarium applauds President Bush and his administration’s foresight to establish the world’s largest marine protected area in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (“Bush to create marine preserve,” News, June 15). The creation of a sanctuary of this magnitude, encompassing 84 million acres and protecting 7,000 species, is an unparalleled victory in the United States.
The president’s decision to preserve “America’s Galapagos” is a momentous step for ongoing and future marine conservation work. In addition the designation plan is significant for other commercial interests that will also benefit, such as tourism, and for the people of Hawaii, who have struggled to conserve this precious aquatic environment in their back yard.
Having had the honor of serving on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy working with other members appointed by Bush, the announced plan is particularly gratifying. The work on the commission gave me a vivid picture of the imperiled health of our oceans.
National monument status of this area acknowledges this impending threat and is a leap in the process to safeguard the world’s pristine waters.
For more than 75 years as the world’s aquarium, Shedd Aquarium has been committed to marine conservation all over the world, from the waters of the Philippines to the magnificent yet vulnerable Great Lakes in the Midwest.
The Shedd Aquarium commends this historic action to protect one of the world’s most dazzling marine habitats and the vast array of unique creatures that reside in it.
