Chile, United States create new marine conservation parks

[Judi Lynn]

Chile, United States create new marine conservation parks

Source: Reuters - Mon, 5 Oct 2015 13:49 GMT

By Lesley Wroughton and Gram Slattery

VINA DEL MAR, Chile, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Chile on Monday said it would create one of the world's largest marine conservation parks, and Washington announced two new marine sanctuaries and a drive against illegal fishing to help protect the world's oceans.

Addressing the second annual 'Our Ocean' international conference in Chile's coastal town of Vina del Mar, President Michelle Bachelet said the protected area would encompass the remote Easter Island, part of Chile's territory some 3,800 km (2,361 miles) west of Santiago in the middle of the Pacific.

A separate park will also protect other island chains, including the Juan Fernandez archipelago, which has been a region of contention between commercial and artisanal fishermen. The proposal should help rebuild depleted fisheries, conservationists said. The parks host one of the highest densities of endogenous marine species on the planet. Overall, over 1 million square kilometers (386,100 square miles) of ocean would be protected, Bachelet said.

. . .

In a video address to the conference, Obama said the United States would create marine sanctuaries in Maryland and in an area off Wisconsin's Lake Michigan, and will take new action to combat illegal fishing.

More:
http://www.trust.org/item/20151005135142-erjp0/

LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141224962

[Judi Lynn]

1. Chile Creates Easter Island Marine Reserve

Chile Creates Easter Island Marine Reserve

Oct 5, 2015 11:15 AM ET // by AFP

Chile and the United States declared huge new marine reserves on Monday at the start of a major conference in Chile on protecting the world's oceans and fisheries.

Chile opened the Our Ocean conference by declaring a 243,630-square-mile (631,368-square-kilometer) sanctuary around Easter Island in the Pacific off its eastern coast.

The area is a source of food in the vast expanse of the ocean and a spawning ground for tuna, shark, marlin and swordfish and a food source for the Rapa Nui people of the island.

Mix Of Species Gain Haven In New Marine Reserve: Photos

It joins reserves declared by the United States, Britain and New Zealand off the US Pacific Islands, Pitcairn and the Kermadecs, as areas protected from the depredations of unregulated fishing.

More:
http://news.discovery.com/animals/chile-creates-easter-island-marine-reserve-151005.htm#mkcpgn=rssnws1