Steneck quoted in BDN editorial on proposed national monument in Gulf of Maine
Robert Steneck, a marine scientist at the University of Maine, was quoted in the Bangor Daily News editorial, “The case for a marine national monument in the Gulf of Maine.” A coalition of conservation groups, supported by more than 200 marine scientists from around the country, are pushing for President Barack Obama to designate Cashes Ledge a marine national monument. The 530-square-mile area of ocean is located 100 miles southeast of Portland and is essentially a submerged mountain range, according to the article. The designation would protect Cashes Ledge from commercial fishing and other activity that could disturb the area’s ecosystem, the article states. Scientists have found the Cashes Ledge ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to groundfishing — especially the type that relies on towing a net along the ocean floor, the article states. Atlantic cod depend on that ecosystem, and if they stand a chance of recovering from their current state of near depletion, there’s a good chance Cashes Ledge will play an important part in the recovery, Steneck said.