The 15-member OSPAR Commission (the Oslo-Paris Convention) will designate 115,000 square miles of the Atlantic floor a Marine Protected Area, prohibiting certain forms of fishing that can damage the rocky surface.

The protected area encompasses some of the most dramatic features of the unique mid-Atlantic Ridge — a chain of ridges and valleys that are caused by the ocean floor being spread apart by powerful geological forces.

WWF describes the new sanctuary as “a haven for corals, sponges and other species living attached to rocky surfaces, as well as for fish, whales and sharks that feed or spawn by the shallower peaks, or use the canyons and depressions as refuge.”

In this area, cool water rich in nutrients collide with warmer Gulf Stream water to provide ideal conditions for production of plankton. The area is also a gathering point of northern and southern migratory species.

Iceland and all the major European nations are parties of the OSPAR Commission. WWF made several proposals considered by the commission.

No enforcement measures to protect the new refuge were outlined.

Graphic: Earthweek
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