WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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In the 1960’s, when astronauts launched
toward the moon, they made an unexpected discovery:

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Earth… is blue.

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We saw for the first time, how vast our ocean, 

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how fragile our planet, and how small and
connected we appeared against the speckled

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blackness of space.

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Since then, our understanding of the ocean
has grown immensely. And the more we learn,

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the more we realize the ocean is our life
support.

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And now it is in distress.

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Increasing demands of a growing human population
are stretching the very fabric of Nature…

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Pollution, overuse, and climate change threaten
to undermine ocean health around the world.

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It became clear by the 1970’s that we needed
to do something to save our planet, and the

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quality of life we had taken for granted.

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Not long after we first looked back at our
planet from space, Congress passed the National

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Marine Sanctuaries Act, creating a nationwide
system of underwater parks, with the goal

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of preserving our natural and cultural treasures,
empowering communities to be part of the process.

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From the depths of the Great Lakes, to the
sunlit shoals of the Northwestern Hawaiian

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Islands, today 14 sites serve as living laboratories
and classrooms for ocean understanding and

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stewardship.

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These remarkable havens have become global
models for how communities are balancing protection

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with recreation and commercial activities.

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We’ve made progress. And by changing how
we interact with the ocean, we are investing

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in our own future.

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Our fates are the same.

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However, there is more to do.

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In 2014, NOAA opened the door for new national
marine sanctuaries, inviting communities around

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the country to nominate their most treasured
places in marine and Great Lakes waters.

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These are your national marine sanctuaries.

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Together, we are making a difference…

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…for ourselves, future generations, and
that bright, blue planet we call home.

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(John F. Kennedy speaking)

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We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back
to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch

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it, we are going back from whence we came.