The regional government of Portugal's Madeira Islands in the North Atlantic expanded a marine reserve around the Selvagens Islands [map] between the Madeira and Canary Islands. The reserve covers 1035 square miles protecting all species from extraction. Conservation organizations, including National Geographic, who did the research backing the designation say the region in a vital passageway for migrating fish and mammals while the islands' coastal areas provide critical nursery habitat. Only eight percent of the ocean is currently protected. Portugal's new sanctuary is the largest in the North Atlantic. The regional government president issued a statement in which he expressed hope that the designation would inspire others to "take similar measures to preserve our oceans." Green Kudos!to Madeira.
In other ocean related news closer to home, a Canadian company has given up on a liquified natural gas terminal to be located at Coos Bay, Oregon after failing to receive necessary state permits. The project was opposed by locals for nearly two decades. In 2019 protestors invaded the governor's office until they were hauled away by state police. FERC and the city counsel of Coos Bay approved the project, but the state's Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Lands refused to grant necessary permits to Pembina Pipeline Corp. of Calgary, Alberta. Federal authorities agreed with the state permitting agencies this year noting Oregon had not waived its certification authority under the Clean Water Act and Coastal Zone Management Act.
NOAA asked that mariners voluntarily slow down in a zone south of Long Island after endangered North Atlantic right whales were detected in the area by acoustic sensors on November 20th. Only 350 of the whales remain in the wild. NOAA told mariners to refrain from crossing the area or slow down to protect the whales from entanglement and collisions.
The waters near Huntington Beach, CA opened to fishing on Tuesday after a burst pipeline spewed thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean in early October. The fishing and beach closures covered 650 square miles of coastal waters and 65 miles of coastline. The closures affected economic activity in the popular seafront community. Fish in spill areas can ingest crude, making them toxic to humans who eat them. Fortunately the spill was smaller than initially feared, and much of the contamination was broken up at sea, sparring sensitive wetlands on shore. Amplify Energy, owner of the distribution pipeline, has been sued for damages. Investigation of the cause of the leak is underway, but the US Coast Guard has said it was likely caused by a ship's anchor.