Anonymous,

The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument was created to be a safe haven for endangered whales, playful dolphins and centuries-old deep sea coral off the coast of Cape Cod. But President Trump put these sea animals and their underwater habitat at risk when he opened the monument to commercial fishing.1

Tell Congress: Oppose rollbacks to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Allowing commercial fishing in the monument puts its amazing biodiversity at risk. Fishing gear can damage the deep sea coral, which can take hundreds of years to regrow.2 Fishing lines stretching from the surface of the ocean to the sea floor can ensnare whales, cutting into their flukes, flippers and tails.3

This rollback will stall efforts to protect endangered and fragile species that are a key part of our natural heritage. And the administration might not stop there -- just like when it shrank the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, removing protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts sets a precedent that puts our other national monuments at risk.

Tell your elected officials to stand up for this marine habitat.

We want to protect our incredible natural heritage -- not undermine the tools that we have to keep our wildlife and wild places safe and healthy. That's why we're asking our elected officials to stand up for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Thank you for taking action,

Hannah Collazo
State Director

P.S. Our work to defend the environment can't stop and won't stop in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. We'll keep advocating on your behalf -- at a safe social distance -- for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate.

1. Rachel Frazin, "Trump to reopen Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument for fishing" The Hill, June 5, 2020.
2. Rooper CN, Etnoyer PJ, Stierhoff KL, Olson JV, "Effects of Fishing Gear on Deep-Sea Corals and Sponges in U.S. Waters," NOAA, last accessed July 25, 2020.
3. "Entanglement of Marine Life: Risks and Response," NOAA Fisheries, June 19, 2017.