Why do we need to protect our national marine sanctuaries?
We all love the ocean and the magnificent marine life from colorful sea slugs to the mighty whales. National Marine Sanctuaries, like the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, are some of our most powerful tools to protect special marine areas. The primary role of a marine sanctuary is to protect its natural life and environmental features while allowing people to use and enjoy the ocean in a sustainable way.
Whatever your interest, you don’t have to be in a sanctuary very long to see why they are created: humpback whales nurturing their young, the bustle of relatively unspoiled coral reefs, shipwrecks that tell stories of our maritime history. What’s less obvious is that the level of protection each sanctuary is afforded is up to us. We, the public, define sanctuaries.
What can you do to help Cordell Marine Sanctuary?
- Enlist others with your passion. Let them know that protecting and supporting sanctuaries is vital to addressing broader ocean issues.
- Support expansion of sanctuary boundaries.
- Donate to support research, education and outreach efforts, to create better ocean stewards.
- Contact your local member of Congress and ask that he/she support the National Marine Sanctuary System and increase funding for additional monitoring and management.
Sanctuaries need us to take action now. The efforts of every individual often come together to make a huge collective difference.
Video: Cordell Bank : A Sound Investment
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Keep in touch.
Would you like to receive our annual newsletter?
If you are trying to reach the staff at Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, they can be reached via the contact information provided HERE.