Webinar & Sign-On Letter
On December 14th, 2021 we co-hosted a webinar with our partners at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) NY Aquarium to rally support from the hospitality and tourism industry for their effort to get the Hudson Canyon (a deep sea canyon right off the coast of NYC) recognized as a National Marine Sanctuary.
If you missed the webinar and represent a business in the greater-NYC area (NJ / Long Island / CT / RI) there are still many ways to support:
- Sign-on Letter ~ Please share your support by adding your signature! This is a letter addressed to NOAA in support of designating the underwater Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary.
- Webinar Recording:
Background
A highly educational and inspiring presentation from our partners at WCS’ New York Aquarium sharing more about the marine biodiversity we have as well as the importance of this designation and status update on the process.
Just 100 miles off the coast of bustling New York City lies the largest submarine canyon along the U.S. Atlantic coast—the Hudson Canyon. Rivaling the depth and scale of the Grand Canyon, this special place supports a remarkable abundance and diversity of marine wildlife including deep sea corals, marine mammals, fishes, marine turtles, and seabirds. There are also numerous species important to fisheries, including tilefish, squid, crabs, flounder and tuna. Ships regularly traverse the waters above the canyon to enter one of the busiest ports in the world, and lying on the bottom is a network of deep sea communication cables that connect us to the world.
WCS’s New York Aquarium submitted a proposal to NOAA successfully nominating the Hudson Canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary. WCS is now building on an already diverse coalition of support to encourage NOAA to begin the public designation process.
Thank You!
This is such an exciting effort that has been long underway and we now have the opportunity to truly make this a reality. The support of business owners in hospitality and tourism in the greater NYC area will mean a lot to decision-makers.
Thank you again to all hospitality and tourism business leaders who have supported in this needed effort to protect our greater-NYC ocean to safeguard a healthy future for our communities as well as coastal tourism in the region.
This effort builds upon a history of working in partnership with WCS’ NY Aquarium on policy efforts in NYC including their Give-A-Sip campaign in support of the Straw Bill which has now been passed into law.