The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
What is the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act?
Passed in 1972, this Act, also known as the Ocean Dumping Act, is an environmental preservation
and monitoring effort on the parts of the EPA, NOAA, and the Coast Guard. It was set up to allow
for the funding of research and monitoring groups that could study the effects of pollutants and
other external products on the ocean. It also protected some ocean areas from harm by
establishing sanctuaries. This Act established a new system by which only licensed materials can
be dumped into the oceans. These rules are intended to prevent serious damage to the oceans.
Research
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was given funding through the Ocean Dumping
Act to form research groups that would study the aquatic life found in these sanctuaries around the U.S. In
Stellwagen Sanctuary, there is a research group dedicated using Acoustic Recording Tags on whales to track
them in order to study habitat and natural movement patterns. The funding also pays for expeditions into the
sanctuaries to quantify species numbers and map their locations. New species have been discovered through
these expeditions.
https://www.nosc.noaa.gov/OSC/images/Kukui_and_NOAA_buoy_1.177308.JPG
The Ocean Dumping Act was passed by Congress in 1972
Acoustic Recording Tag
Protection
Sanctuaries
Why have a Marine Wildlife protection law anyway? Before the law was passed,
there was massive amounts of ocean dumping. Companies saw it as an
opportunity to cheaply dispose of their waste. They dumped what they needed
to and it disappeared beneath the waves. However, massive amounts of damage
were occurring because of this. Toxic pollutants, non-degradable objects, and
chemicals all ended up mixing with the ocean water and destroying the marine
life. Certain chemicals remove oxygen from the water causing fish to die of
asphyxiation. Some pollutants enter the food chain and are transported away
from the immediate disposal area. Some chemical pollutants interfere with
organisms’ genes and cause mutation. Plastics and metals become traps for fish
leading to direct mortality. This Act greatly reduced ocean dumping in the US.
The Act has set up several sanctuaries around the U.S. including the Stellwagen Sanctuary off of the coast of Massachusetts.
It covers 19 miles form North to South and 6 miles East to west and reaches depths of 600 miles. The sanctuary was set up
to defend the remaining populations of whales, cod, tuna and many other marine creatures that were historically harvested
there. For generations, the area was prime whaling territory and an excellent cod fishing grounds. However, over time,
these populations dwindled to dangerously low levels. This area was declared a sanctuary in 1992.
Example of Ocean Dumping
Jake Bonenfant, April 2013
NOAA
The established sanctuaries today
Stellwagen sanctuary off Massachusetts