Biden administration moves to protect ‘Hudson Canyon’ 100 miles off coast of New York

The Biden administration is preparing to issue protections to a key stretch of the Atlantic Ocean, a move the White House says will ensure ecological preservation of a major part of the Atlantic biosphere.

The White House announced the plan Thursday, saying that in recognition of World Ocean Day the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was “initiating the designation process for a new national marine sanctuary to conserve Hudson Canyon, America’s deepest canyon in the Atlantic Ocean.”

NOAA calls the Hudson Canyon “the largest submarine canyon along the U.S. Atlantic coast [and] one of the largest in the world,” stretching across roughly 350 miles at depths of up to 2.5 miles and widths of up to 7.5 miles. 

“Hudson Canyon's grand scale and diverse structure – steep slopes, firm outcrops, diverse sediments, flux of nutrients, and areas of upwelling – make it an ecological hotspot for a vast array of marine wildlife,” the administration said. 

The White House said NOAA will "seek public comment on the potential boundaries for the sanctuary and other factors related to its future management."

The administration also the canyon also “boasts deep sea, cold-water coral communities, and contains various shipwrecks, including freighters and United States military radar platforms, dating back to the mid-19th Century."