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N.J.'s ocean canyons: Will these treasures be preserved like national parks?

About 75 to 100 miles off the coast of New Jersey - where the continental shelf divides shallow coastal waters and the deep sea - a tale of two canyons is in play.

The Atlantic City commercial fishing fleet is moored in Gardners Basin, as high winds have kept the ships in the harbor most of the week. The Baltimore Canyon off the Jersey Shore is a vast slice of the ocean where undersea marine life thrives. Last month a plan for it to receive special environmental protections was withdrawn, a move commercial fishermen are lauding while environmentalists say this may have been a missed opportunity.
The Atlantic City commercial fishing fleet is moored in Gardners Basin, as high winds have kept the ships in the harbor most of the week. The Baltimore Canyon off the Jersey Shore is a vast slice of the ocean where undersea marine life thrives. Last month a plan for it to receive special environmental protections was withdrawn, a move commercial fishermen are lauding while environmentalists say this may have been a missed opportunity.Read moreTOM GRALISH