An extraordinary illustrated overview of the National Marine Sanctuary System and a guide to its fourteen protected underwater locations America's Marine Sanctuaries tells the story of fourteen underwater places so important they are under special protection, together forming the US National Marine Sanctuary System. These sanctuaries, spanning more than 620,000 square miles and ranging from the Florida Keys to the Great Lakes and to the Hawaiian Islands, are critical and breathtaking marine habitats that provide homes to endangered and threatened species. They also preserve America's rich maritime heritage and act as living laboratories for science, research, education, and conservation, offering outdoor recreation experiences for all ages. Through 175 full-color photographs and lively narrative, America's Marine Sanctuaries showcases each of the marine sanctuaries and the creatures that live there, from whales and manatees to Hawaiian monk seals and Laysan ducks, as well as sunken ships from the Ghost Fleet and USS Monitor to Shipwreck Alley. The book underscores how marine sanctuaries have shaped the nation's development, survival, and identity, and celebrates these protected underwater treasures for all they can tell us about our communities, our country, and our world.

An extraordinary illustrated overview of the National Marine Sanctuary System and a guide to its fourteen protected underwater locations America's Marine Sanctuaries tells the story of fourteen underwater places so important they are under special protection, together forming the US National Marine Sanctuary System. These sanctuaries, spanning more than 620,000 square miles and ranging from the Florida Keys to the Great Lakes and to the Hawaiian Islands, are critical and breathtaking marine habitats that provide homes to endangered and threatened species. They also preserve America's rich maritime heritage and act as living laboratories for science, research, education, and conservation, offering outdoor recreation experiences for all ages. Through 175 full-color photographs and lively narrative, America's Marine Sanctuaries showcases each of the marine sanctuaries and the creatures that live there, from whales and manatees to Hawaiian monk seals and Laysan ducks, as well as sunken ships from the Ghost Fleet and USS Monitor to Shipwreck Alley. The book underscores how marine sanctuaries have shaped the nation's development, survival, and identity, and celebrates these protected underwater treasures for all they can tell us about our communities, our country, and our world.

In 1797 the bloodiest mutiny ever suffered by the Royal Navy took place on the British frigate HMS Hermione off the coast of Puerto Rico. Jonathan Robbins, a reputed American sailor who had been impressed into service, made his way to American shores. President John Adams bowed to Britain’s request for his extradition. Convicted of murder and piracy by a court-martial in Jamaica, Robbins was hanged. Adams’s catastrophic miscalculation ignited a political firestorm, only to be fanned by Robbins’s failure to receive his constitutional rights of due process and trial by jury by an American court. American Sanctuary brilliantly lays out in riveting detail the story of how the Robbins affair, amid the turbulent presidential campaign of 1800, inflamed the new nation and set in motion a constitutional crisis, resulting in Adams’s defeat and Thomas Jefferson’s election as the third president of the United States. Robbins’s martyrdom led directly to the country’s historic decision to grant political asylum to foreign refugees—a major achievement in fulfilling the promise of American independence.

Lavish illustrations (photographs, site drawings, and artifact sketches) complement this informative and highly readable account. Naval warfare buffs, amateurs and professionals involved in maritime archaeology, and Civil War aficionados will be intrigued and informed by USS Monitor A Historic Ship Completes Its Final Voyage.

"National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala takes readers on an unforgettable journey to 10 places where the ocean is virtually untouched by man, offering a fascinating glimpse into our past and an inspiring vision for the future. From the shark-rich waters surrounding Coco Island, Costa Rica, to the iceberg-studded sea off Franz Josef Land, Russia, this incredible photographic collection showcases the thriving marine ecosystems that Sala is working to protect. Offering a rare glimpse into the world's underwater Edens, more than 200 images take you to the frontier of the Pristine Seas expeditions, where Sala's teams explore the breathtaking wildlife and habitats from the depths to the surface--thriving ecosystems with healthy corals and a kaleidoscopic variety of colorful fish and stunning creatures that have been protected from human interference. With this dazzling array of photographs that capture the beauty of the water and the incredible wildlife within it, this book shows us the brilliance of the sea in its natural state."--

Explores America's twelve marine sanctuaries, from the relics of lost ships at Monitor Marine Sanctuary in North Carolina to the huge underwater cliffs in Monterey Bay, California.

Although the ocean-and the resources within-seem limitless, there is clear evidence that human impacts such as overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution disrupt marine ecosystems and threaten the long-term productivity of the seas. Declining yields in many fisheries and decay of treasured marine habitats, such as coral reefs, has heightened interest in establishing a comprehensive system of marine protected areas (MPAs)-areas designated for special protection to enhance the management of marine resources. Therefore, there is an urgent need to evaluate how MPAs can be employed in the United States and internationally as tools to support specific conservation needs of marine and coastal waters. Marine Protected Areas compares conventional management of marine resources with proposals to augment these management strategies with a system of protected areas. The volume argues that implementation of MPAs should be incremental and adaptive, through the design of areas not only to conserve resources, but also to help us learn how to manage marine species more effectively.