Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | 8:44 a.m.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he created the first monument in the Atlantic Ocean because the planet cannot be protected without trying to safeguard the oceans.
Obama announced the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument while he attended at a State Department conference on Thursday.
The monument consists of nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains off the New England coast.
It's the 27th time that Obama has created or enlarged a national monument.
Supporters say protecting large swaths of ocean from human stresses can sustain important species and reduce the toll of climate change.
Fishermen worry that it will become harder to earn a living as a result of Obama's move.
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