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HomeAboutNOS Fiscal Year 2016 Year in Review

# Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

## NOS Fiscal Year 2016 Year in Review

## President Obama expands Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience,  place-based conservation 

Map showing the expanded area of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The new boundary extends out to the U.S. EEZ (shown in purple). The monument's original area is shown in blue

On August 26, 2016,  President Obama signed a proclamation expanding Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.  Previously the largest contiguous fully-protected conservation area in the United  States at 139,797 square miles (362,073 km2), the expanded boundaries make it  once again the biggest protected area on the planet at 582,578 square miles  (1,508,870 km2), nearly the size of the Gulf of Mexico. Papahānaumokuākea is  globally recognized for its biological and cultural significance, being the  only mixed UNESCO World Heritage site in the United States and only one of 35  mixed sites in the world. This expansion not only provides direct protection to  this global resource, but also brings critical attention to the need for  increased ocean conservation and protection worldwide. Despite its remote  location in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, PMNM faces a looming threat of global climate change  that will affect its land and marine ecosystems, as well as its cultural  resources -- a threat that ocean resources are facing across the globe. 

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## Monitor and Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuaries Expansions Proposed

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience,  place-based conservation 

USS Monitor. This famed Civil War ironclad sank during a storm on December 31, 1862, and wasn't found again until 1973. Its discovery prompted the creation of our first national marine sanctuary, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary! Photo Credit: NOAA Monitor Collection

For  more than 40 years, Monitor  National Marine Sanctuary has served as a special  place honoring the iconic Civil War ironclad, USS*Monitor*, and the  memory and service of Civil War sailors. The proposed  expansion, announced in January 2016, is an opportunity to honor  another generation of mariners that helped defend the nation during both World  Wars. An expansion of this historical site just off of North Carolina’s coast  would protect a collection of historically significant shipwrecks vessels,  including vessels sunk during World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic. 

        Building  on more than 30 years of scientific studies, including numerous reports  released in the last decade and in the aftermath of the 2010 *Deepwater  Horizon*oil spill, NOAA announced in June 2016 to expand Flower Garden Bank National  Marine Sanctuary. The preferred scenario would cover an extra 383  square miles, including 15 reefs and banks that provide habitat for  recreationally and commercially important fish, as well as 15 threatened or  endangered species of whales, sea turtles, and corals. This scenario also calls for  comprehensive management and protection of these important habitat sites and  cultural resources, and would provide more opportunities for research and  recovery of resources. 

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## U.S. and Cuba to Cooperate on Sister Sanctuaries

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence,   place-based conservation 

Red grouper and boulder star coral photographed in the Upper Keys, at Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Less  than a hundred miles south of the reefs and mangrove forests of Florida Keys  National Marine Sanctuary are the marine ecosystems  of our neighboring nation, Cuba. In November 2015, a Memorandum of  Understanding (MOU) was signed by NOAA, the National Park Service, and Cuba’s  Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment. This new MOU includes the establishment  of sister-sanctuary relationships between Guanahacabibes  National Park in Cuba, including its offshore Bank of San Antonio, and Florida  Keys and Flower Garden Banks national marine  sanctuaries in the United States.         Recognizing  that these protected areas are all inextricably linked by ocean currents and  animal migrations, and threatened by some of the same environmental stressors  (such as ocean acidification), this MOU is an opportunity for marine protected  area managers and scientists in the U.S. and Cuba to learn from one another’s  experiences, benefiting and improving the health of coral reef resources in  both countries. 

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## Discovery of the Wreck of the USS Conestoga

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: place-based conservation 

The officers and crew of USS Conestoga, in San Diego, California in 1921.Credit: Naval Historical Center Photograph NH 71503

"In  remembering the loss of the Conestoga, we pay tribute to her crew and their  families, and remember that, even in peacetime, the sea is an unforgiving environment,"  said Dennis V. McGinn, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy,  Installations and Environment. In March 2016, NOAA and the U.S. Navy announced  the discovery of theUSS *Conestoga**(AT 54)* in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary,  95 years after the Navy tugboat disappeared with 56 officers and sailors  aboard.        The  process leading up to the final discovery began in 2009, when NOAA’s Office of  Coast Survey documented a probable, uncharted shipwreck. In September 2014,  NOAA launched a two year investigation to document historic shipwrecks in the  Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and nearby Golden Gate National  Recreation Area. Finally, in October 2015, NOAA confirmed the identification  and location of*Conestoga*. In recognition of this historical  discovery, ONMS released a short documentary, “Three Miles from Safety: The Story of theUSS *Conestoga,*” on Memorial Day in May 2016, honoring the memory of the naval veterans who  perished on board. This discovery solves one of the top maritime mysteries in  U.S. Navy history.

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## MPA Federal Advisory Committee approves “Guiding Principles” for Arctic MPAs created by participatory process

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience,  place-based conservation 

 A female bowhead whale and her calf in the Arctic

The  U.S. has identified advancing marine protected areas (MPA) networks as a  priority under its chairmanship of the Arctic Council during 2015-2017.   The Arctic is experiencing rapid changes due to climate impacts,  including receding sea ice which will open sensitive ecosystems to human uses.   While MPAs are effective marine conservation tools, many stakeholders in  Alaska are concerned about potential restrictions on access to ocean resources.   To provide an opportunity for dialogue and consensus building on this  issue, NOAA and the Department of the Interior asked the MPA Federal Advisory  Committee to develop guidance on MPAs and MPA networks in the Arctic.  The  “Guiding Principles for Marine Protected Areas and MPA Networks  in the Arctic” were developed by the Committee’s Arctic MPA Working  Group, representing diverse U.S. Arctic stakeholders.  The “Guiding  Principles” note the impacts and implications of climate change already being  felt, the role of MPAs as a conservation tool, and strongly emphasize the  importance of engagement with Alaska Natives and local stakeholders.  

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## Inaugural Issue of Earth is Blue: Magazine of the National Marine Sanctuaries

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience,  place-based conservation 

The  inaugural issue of *Earth is Blue: Magazine of the National Marine  Sanctuaries*was released in June 2016. Following on the footsteps of ONMS’  social media campaign Earth  is Blue, the magazine covers a broad range of topics and everything  that the sanctuary system has to offer. The beauty and economic benefits of our  country’s underwater parks are highlighted through mesmerizing photographs and  stories. Expect to learn about our nation’s indigenous cultures, maritime  heritage, conservation of vital marine areas and the wide variety of  recreational activities that visitors can enjoy responsibly.  The *Earth  is Blue: Magazine of the National Marine Sanctuaries*is available in hard  copy and online. 

###### **ONMS** Highlights

            - ** President Obama expands Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
            - ** Monitor and Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuaries Expansions Proposed
            - ** U.S. and Cuba to Cooperate on Sister Sanctuaries
            - **Discovery of the Wreck of the USS Conestoga
            - ** MPA Federal Advisory Committee approves “Guiding Principles” for Arctic MPAs created by participatory process
            - **Inaugural Issue of Earth is Blue: Magazine of the National Marine SanctuariesCoastal 

###### **NOS Accomplishments**

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