Parts of the northwest Atlantic Ocean stretching from Cape Cod in Massachusetts to the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia in Canada should be declared off-limits to fishing and other human activities in order to protect threatened marine species,.
BOSTON — Parts of the northwest Atlantic Ocean stretching from Cape Cod in Massachusetts to the northeastern tip of Nova Scotia in Canada should be declared off-limits to fishing and other human activities in order to protect threatened marine species, two environmental groups said Monday.
The Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund-Canada recommended creating 30 marine reserves extending 10 miles (16 kilometers) to 200 miles (322 kilometers) from shore.
The proposed zones include productive fishing areas, however, and creating the reserves in U.S. waters would require federal authorization.
A fishing industry official worried that closing large areas permanently could make it harder for fishermen to earn a living.
"They have to be very careful not to close an area that is producing a lot of net benefit to the nation," Vito Giacalone of the Northeast Seafood Coalition told The Boston Globe newspaper.
The groups said they used computer technology to identify offshore areas where a large number of species could be protected while imposing the fewest restrictions.
Source: Associated Press
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