Barracuda Storm © JennyHuang
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On January 6th, President Bush established three new marine preserves.
The new preserves are:
- The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument
- Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument
- Rose Atoll Marine National Monument
Rose Atoll is part of American Samoa. The Marianas Trench is near Guam and is the deepest part of the world’s oceans. The Pacific Remote Islands National Monument includes a number of small, scattered islands and their surrounding coral reefs.
None of the islands included in the Pacific Remote Islands National Monument have indigenous inhabitants and few people visit these islands.
Each area has unique animal species and geological formations. The coral reefs are pristine. Creating these huge preserves will hopefully protect these areas from activities that are damaging other reefs around the world — including general pollution, shark finning, oil spills, introduction of invasive species, etc.
Under this protection, commercial fishing can be stopped immediately. Tourism, scientific research, and military activities will be allowed to continue.