I fervently hope that these incredible marine monuments will not be degraded by opening them up to extractive activities. The interior secretary said the monument should be shrunk to an unspecified new shape and allow regional authorities to oversee commercial fishing in the monument. Combined, these marine monuments encompass an area more than three times the size of California – dwarfing the four terrestrial monuments set to be resized. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Conservation groups say commercial fishing would be merely a precursor to further invasions into the marine environment. Conservation groups fret that commercial fishing would only be a precursor to further invasions, such as oil drilling or seabed mining.

Source: The Guardian January 02, 2018 12:00 UTC