According to a recent revelation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), two marine sanctuaries in the San Francisco Bay Area coast will soon be double in size. The news of this modification was first published on Thursday in the Federal Register. However, the NOAA reported that the change will take effect after 45 days of Congress sessions.
What does this change mean? It has increased the area covered by the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary from 528 sq. miles to 1,286 sq. miles. Another sanctuary to receive an expansion is the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; its area has increased from 1,282 sq. miles to 3,295 sq. miles.
This expansion will help in protecting additional coastal and marine habitats, ecological features of the region and biological resources the place has.
Holly Bamford, the deputy administrator of NOAA, when announcing this change, said that his organization is extremely excited to make such an announcement. Bamford also operates as the assistant secretary of NOAA’s conservation and management department.
The NOAA has decided to move forward with such an expansion due to public demand and findings of studies conducted during the past few years. According to the NOAA, the expansion has taken place as researchers have proved that the area surrounding the two sanctuaries are extremely productive as upwelling zones for marine and coastal animals.
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According to Marina Brown, the superintendent of Farallones said that it might turn out that the area around these sanctuaries is the world’s most productive upwelling zones. Brown added that the productivity of this zone reflects the zone’s ability of supporting life. Animals from different parts of the world, for instance, from faraway lands like New Zealand and Indonesia come here to feed.
The government has contributed a lot to make the expansion possible. This amazing step by the government will offer additional protection to different endangered species living in these sanctuaries and a range of other breeding seabirds and marine mammals.
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