PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Hundreds of people filled a conference hall Tuesday night to speak out on a federal proposal to permanently protect a network of deep-sea canyons and underwater mountains off New England by creating the first marine national monument on the Atlantic coast.
The crowd at the meeting hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was divided between environmental groups and marine scientists on one side who have been pushing President Obama to preserve in perpetuity the area that starts about 100 miles southeast of Cape Cod and, on the other, commercial fishermen who say that the monument consideration process is flawed and amorphous.
As exhibit A, those in the fishing community pointed to the scope of the area under consideration, which was still not entirely clear at the hearing.
Although the agenda listed three canyons — Gilbert, Lydonia and Oceanographer — as well as the seamounts south of them, as part of the proposal, NOAA officials said the area could change.
"There is not a specific proposal on the table," said Christine Blackburn, NOAA senior adviser, adding that the agency will consider all comments on the plan.
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