Florida's newest aquatic preserve is officially set to move forward, with a management plan aimed at protecting some 350,000 acres of sea grass.

The Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve off Florida's west coast is the first new preserve to be designated in more than 30 years, and part of the largest sea grass bed in the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has approved a plan to protect the 700 square miles of coastal habitat along Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties.

William Toney, a fishing guide in Homosassa, said he is not a political person, but spent years attending meetings to fight for his livelihood, and the health of the Gulf.

"It really meant a lot to me, and to the people in our communities here," Toney emphasized. "Especially us that make a living on the water, you know, we need that protection of our sea grass, for all our fish and crabs and shrimp."

Toney pointed out economies of the towns connected to the preserve are mostly driven by tourism and fishing. The state management plan calls for routine water quality testing, restoring damaged sea grass and encouraging community groups to work together. The preserve is now the 42nd in the Florida system.

The areas encompassing the preserve are home to mangrove islands, salt marshes, oysters, sponges, corals and more, and the plan still allows for recreational activities, like boating, fishing and scalloping.

Joy Hazell, extension agent for the University of Florida/IFAS Extension, said locals saw the need to protect their own.

"The community went to the state government and said, 'We want to protect this,' " Hazell explained. "When you have those community-driven resource protections, you just have a stronger agreement between the people who use the resource and the people who are in charge of managing the resource."

Community members cited increasing threats from pollution as part of their concerns. Recent bouts of red tide and other harmful algae blooms, fueled by farm and fertilizer runoff, dominated headlines, taking a toll on marine life and tourism businesses.


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A new marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean aims to protect one of the most biodiverse spots on the planet from overfishing.

Located 130 miles off Cape Cod, the area spans more than 3 million acres and is part of the Biden administration's plan to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

Keith Shannon, Northeast chief of public affairs for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, called the monument a "living laboratory" of pristine ocean habitat.

"Dolphins, multiple whale species and sea turtles and seabirds," Shannon outlined. "It's considered the Serengeti of the sea. There's so much wildlife out there."

Officially called the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Shannon said it contains areas deeper than the Grand Canyon and taller than the Rocky Mountains, and will be safeguarded for years to come.

Debate over how to manage this vast marine environment has been ongoing. Former President Donald Trump lifted restrictions on commercial fishing in the monument area in 2020. The Biden administration reestablished protections one year later, in a move praised by environmental groups and condemned by fishermen, who said it would put more people out of work.

Shannon pointed out the new monument management plan helps ensure the unique area is protected from the harms of overfishing while the larger ocean ecosystem benefits.

"That should allow for species that are fished to come into the monument waters, breed and create more species in the areas outside the monument," Shannon explained.

The monument contains an abundance of phytoplankton, fish, squid and shrimp that serve as vital links in the marine food chain. New federal data show while some recent progress has been made in rebuilding fish stock in U.S. waters, nearly 50 species including Atlantic cod and mackerel remain overfished.

The public comment period is now open on California's new framework for deciding which managed areas within coastal waters meet the definition of "conserved," and where protection improvements need to be made.

California's goal is to preserve 30% of state lands and waters by 2030. The Ocean Protection Council released science-based guidelines this week on what counts as "conserved."

"An area is considered a conservation area if the lands and coastal waters are durably protected and managed to sustain functional ecosystems, both intact and restored, and the diversity of life that they support," said Jos Hill, project director at the Pew Charitable Trusts.

People can weigh in on the process at a series of upcoming workshops in Arcata, Monterey and San Diego. The Ocean Protection Council will also hold two webinars this summer and will accept feedback by email.

Hill said the new framework will be used by the state to evaluate protections in marine-managed areas. The state's "30-by-30" policy sets goals to improve biodiversity, public access and climate resilience.

"The stakes of failing to protect nature are high, and the loss of biodiversity undermines the ability of ecosystems to function and support a healthy environment," Hill said. "And this is particularly important in a changing climate, in which loss of biodiversity reduces nature's resilience to change."

The evaluation criteria will be finalized in the fall and the preliminary decision on which places qualify as conservation areas will be presented in December.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Groups in Connecticut are preparing to celebrate World Fish Migration Day on Friday.

The biennial event celebrates migratory fish species and their importance. It also highlights challenges these species face, such as climate change. Warming waters make it harder for them to survive.

Rhea Drozdenko, a river steward with the Connecticut River Conservancy, noted that planting trees on river banks can reduce water temperatures. She said dams also pose a challenge for fish.

"They are essentially blocking off a river," she said, "so fish that might have historically been able to go far north, up through our watershed, now that there's dams there, they are now blocked. And so, now they have smaller and smaller habitats at their disposal."

She said conservation groups advocate for safer passage with fish ladders and fish elevators at the dams. Another way is removing so-called "deadbeat dams" that no longer serve an economic use and impede fish migration.

More information about events and getting involved is online at worldfishmigrationday.com.

Habitat neglect is another problem for migratory fish species. Steve Gephard, a Connecticut River Salmon Association board member, said he has found that if the habitat isn't suitable, migratory fish won't prosper. He said work is being done to restore important habitat areas.

"In some cases, it means putting rocks back in, putting woody debris back in, revegetating the flood plain, putting some curvature in the stream," he said. "A lot of streams, as they've gone through human areas, have been channelized."

Some habitats get degraded through industrialization and by clear-cutting forests. Data show hundreds of miles of fish passageway reopened between 1999 and 2018. If pathways for fish migration open up by removing dams, Gephard said, environmental groups have to ensure healthy habitat is there for these fish to return to.