February 16, 2017 — Some fishermen are relieved the nomination of the Baltimore Canyon as a national marine sanctuary was pulled from consideration, saying that designation could have restricted fishing in the rich area about 73 miles southeast of Delaware Bay.
“It’s in the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and that is what has always been a concern for us as users of the area,” said John Depersenaire, Fisheries Researcher at the Recreation Fishing Alliance in New Gretna. “It says unlawful acts include injuring or harming any sanctuary resource.”
The sanctuary program is set up to protect resources, said Reed Bohne, regional director of the sanctuary program for the Northeast and Great Lakes for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.