The steamship Portland sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1898. Portland lies upright on a mud bottom with its wooden hull nearly intact from the keel up to the main deck level. The vessel's entire superstructure is missing, with only the steam propulsion machinery protruding above deck level.

US Calls on Fishermen to Help Preserve Historic Wrecks

NOAA has called on fishermen to play a key role in preserving underwater historical treasures. To protect these maritime time capsules, NOAA has stressed the importance of avoiding fishing activities around known shipwreck sites

There are more than 200 wrecks in the sanctuary, according to NOAA, which specifically mentioned the World War II minesweeper USS Heroic, the trawler Josephine Marie and the 55ft North Star, along with eight unna

Hawaiian Triggerfish on Ningaloo Reef
Hawaiian Triggerfish on Ningaloo Reef

Coral Catastrophe on Ningaloo Reef

An ecological disaster

Furthermore, the abundance of healthy coral colonies experienced a sharp decline from 3,452 individuals in 2018 to just 153 in 2022. The abundance of coral genera also took a significant hit, falling by 84.61% from 26 genera in 2018 to just four in 2022. Dominant genera such as Acropora, Montipora and Echinopora were eradicated from the study sites.