Obama to Establish First Marine National Monument South of Cape Cod

FILE – This undated file photo released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made during the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013, shows corals on Mytilus Seamount off the coast of New England in the North Atlantic Ocean. (NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama will establish the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

The designation covers nearly 5,000 square miles off the coast of New England.

Supporters say that the monument will help sustain important species and reduce the toll of climate change, but many in the fishing industry oppose the move.

The area is about 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod and includes five underwater canyons, some deeper than the Grand Canyon.

It also includes four underwater mountains, known as “seamounts” that rise up to 7,000 feet above the ocean floor, higher than any mountain east of the Rockies.