Posted on December, 07 2015

New Zealand has announced a commitment to create a vast 620,000 square kilometre ocean sanctuary in the remote Kermadec region by October 2016. Once established, it will be the largest single stretch of ocean off -limits to all types of fishing, and where exploitation of oil, gas and mining is banned. The campaign was driven by the Pew Charitable Trusts in partnership with WWF and local conservation groups. The sub-tropical Kermadec region is located in the South Pacific Ocean approximately 1,000 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. The area is home to a significant number of threatened species including migratory whales, sharks, turtles and tuna. It contains the world’s longest chain of submerged volcanoes and the second deepest ocean trench on the planet.