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Prince Edward Islands Declared a Protected Area

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McNish Bay on the south coast of Prince Edward Island, typifies much of the steep, rugged nature of the islands' coasts.
McNish Bay on the south coast of Prince Edward Island, typifies much of the steep, rugged nature of the islands' coasts. (Image credit: Peter Ryan, FitzPatrick Institute UCT)

The Prince Edward Islands have been declared a protected area by the South African government, according to a release from the World Wildlife Fund.

The islands (not to be confused with the Canadian island province) are about 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers) south of the African continent and are a biodiversity hotspot. The area is home to important populations of albatrosses, penguins, killer whales and Patagonian toothfish.

"This is a historic day for marine conservation in South Africa," said Morné du Plessis, with the WWF, in the statement. "This declaration demonstrates South Africa's new commitment to protecting the Prince Edward Islands, an important national heritage and a crown jewel of our oceans."

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The area was subject to rampant poaching during the late 1990s, according to the WWF release. Patagonian toothfish, otherwise known as Chilean seabass, was poached around the islands, and throughout the Southern Ocean.

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Douglas Main
Douglas Main
Douglas Main loves the weird and wonderful world of science, digging into amazing Planet Earth discoveries and wacky animal findings (from marsupials mating themselves to death to zombie worms to tear-drinking butterflies) for Live Science. Follow Doug on Google+.