Right Whales

“Cashes Ledge and the Canyons and Seamounts are a rich part of New England’s legacy. Now is the time for these ocean treasures to be part of our national heritage as a Marine National Monument,” said Priscilla Brooks, CLF’s Director of Ocean Conservation. “These biodiversity hotspots offer a refuge for an astonishing array of ocean wildlife including severely depleted Atlantic cod, coldwater corals, whales, dolphins, sharks, bluefin tuna and the largest and deepest coldwater kelp forest on the Atlantic seaboard. These areas are also important laboratories to advance our understanding of the impacts of climate change on the ocean and on our communities. We need to recognize what amazing ocean treasures we have here in New England and protect them permanently for future generations.”

“Diving on Cashes Ledge was an experience of a lifetime, in a lifetime of amazing underwater experiences,” continued Earle. “I saw for myself what scientists have been raving about for years – a miraculous mountain peak that comes close enough to sunlight to be crowned with a thriving forest of kelp and a richly diverse assemblage of coastal marine life in the open sea. Permanent full protection for Cashes Ledge and the deep sea canyons and seamounts of New England will be a good for the fish, for fishermen, for the ocean and for all of humankind.”