NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries today announced that it is seeking comments by Wednesday, Oct. 26 on its proposed expansion of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary boundary from 3,800 sq. miles to 4,800 sq. miles, updated sanctuary-wide regulations, individual marine zones, and associated regulations, and revised designation terms.
NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said that “[w]e heard loud and clear from the public that we must take bold action to protect the Florida Keys ecosystem from unprecedented threats,” and called the proposal an example of the Biden administration’s commitment to the 30×30 conservation effort.
In conjunction with the comment period, NOAA will hold a virtual public comment meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 30, as well as in-person public comment meetings on Tuesday, Sept. 20 (Key Largo, FL), Wednesday, Sept. 21 (Marathon, FL), and Thursday, Sept. 22 (Key West, FL).
