Sanctuary’s size quadrupled
COURTESY SEAPICS
A Hawaiian monk seal and an ulua swim at Kure Atoll in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
President Barack Obama will expand the Papahanau- mokuakea Marine National Monument by hundreds of thousands of square miles, creating the world’s largest marine reserve and permanently protecting coral reefs and deep-sea marine habitats from activities such as commercial fishing and mineral mining, the White House announced Thursday.
The designation will quadruple the size of the current protected area surrounding the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which was designated a national monument by George W. Bush in 2006.
The White House also announced that Obama will address the World Conservation Congress in Honolulu on Wednesday. The conference, which is being held in the United States for the first time, is expected to attract as many as 10,000 people, including government dignitaries, scientists, environmentalists and business leaders.
The conference will focus on the climate crisis, the unprecedented rate at which species are becoming extinct and the effects that damaged ecosystems are having on the world’s economies.
Obama will then travel Thursday to Midway Atoll, located within Papahanau- mokuakea, to mark the significance of the monument expansion and “highlight first-hand how the threat of climate change makes protecting our public lands and waters more important than ever,” according to a White House press release.
“It is now fair to say that the president has as strong as an environmental legacy and track record as any president in generations,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, who was singled out by the Obama administration as playing a crucial role in the president’s decision, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
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Obama’s decision follows months of debate in Hawaii between the longline fishing industry, which has opposed the expansion, and the plan’s supporters — a long list of local lawmakers, hundreds of scientists and environmental organizations including The Pew Charitable Trusts.
In addition to members of the longline fishing industry, the proposed expansion has been opposed by former U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and former Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi, as well as more than two dozen state lawmakers, including House Speaker Joe Souki and Senate President Ron Kouchi. Kouchi later changed his position to support expansion.
Opponents of the expansion argued that it would negatively affect Hawaii’s fishing industry, potentially driving up local fish prices and increasing imports. At a protest rally at the Capitol last month, critics also argued that the federal government shouldn’t be dictating what happens in local waters.
“The ocean belongs to us,” Ariyoshi told the media at the rally. “We ought to be the ones who decide what kind of use to make of the ocean. And we don’t want someone from the outside to come, or people from the outside to come, and tell us how to live with the ocean.”
The federal government has long had jurisdiction over the area that will be protected, however, and the idea of expanding the monument has had local backing.
In January prominent Native Hawaiian leaders sent Obama a letter proposing the idea, arguing that the waters surrounding the Northwest Hawaiian Islands contained sharks and large, predatory fish that have been heavily overfished elsewhere and were in need of protection.
The letter was signed by William Aila, deputy director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Nainoa Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society; and Kamanaopono Crabbe, head of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, among others.
Schatz said the rhetoric for and against expansion had grown heated in recent weeks and that he hoped both sides could now work toward finding common ground.
“We are quite confident that this is in the best interest of not just the ecology of the Pacific Ocean, but our ability to catch and eat fish going forward,” he said. “This is not a situation of whether we want to catch fish or look at fish. It’s about making sure the ocean is sustainable for generations to come.”
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono also issued a statement congratulating the president for his leadership in protecting ocean resources.
“President Obama’s efforts to enhance protections for our ocean ecosystem will help to combat climate change, preserve biodiversity and honor cultural traditions,” Hirono wrote. “As part of his announcement, I appreciate the president’s recognition of the importance of commercial fishing to Hawaii’s way of life and our shared goal of supporting Hawaii’s sustainable pelagic fisheries.”
Obama will expand the protected area around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands using the Antiquities Act of 1906, which affords him unilateral power to designate U.S. lands and waters as national monuments.
Specifically, the monument will be expanded to 582,578 square miles — an area about twice the size of Texas — from 139,800 square miles. The expansion is expected to provide critical protections for more than 7,000 marine species, including endangered whales and sea turtles, and black coral, which is believed to be the longest-living marine species in the world, capable of surviving for more than 4,500 years, according to the White House.
Commercial fishing and mineral extraction will be prohibited in the monument area. However, recreational fishing, removal of fish and other resources for Native Hawaiian cultural practices and scientific research will be allowed in the area by permit. The originally proposed boundaries of the monument have also been pushed back around Kauai and Niihau to ensure that small-boat fishermen can still fish in the nearby waters.
Federal agencies will also sign an agreement with Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs that will provide the state agencies with a greater management role in the area.
As “ocean acidification, warming and other impacts of climate change threaten marine ecosystems, expanding the monument will improve ocean resilience, help the region’s distinct physical and biological resources adapt and create a natural laboratory that will allow scientists to monitor and explore the impacts of climate change on these fragile ecosystems,” the White House said in its press release.
Obama’s decision came on the heels of an announcement by Gov. David Ige that after listening to both sides of the debate, he supported expanding Papahanaumokuakea.
“You may be familiar with the Hawaiian proverb, E ola ke kai, e ola kakou — as the ocean thrives, so do we,” Ige wrote in a letter to Obama on Wednesday. “This proposal strikes the right balance at this time for the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands, and it can be a model for sustainability in the other oceans of planet Earth.”
30 responses to “Sanctuary’s size quadrupled”
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and japanese and chinese and canadian mining interests will not get to mine the rare earth mineral deposit found on the ocean floor just off the main islands and within the now protected area. coal mine deposits already just laying around can be reprocessed to extract rare earth minerals plus closed US mines can be opened. China’s monopoly not going to wash.
What?
Mythman you completely losing it my brother. Put down the pipe and take the meds the doc gave you.
Do your research, sir. the world’s largest deposit of rare earth minerals is found on the ocean floor just off the islands. It was identified by the japanese and the plan was to mine it by the japanese.
You are rambling about nonsense ?????
This is a good thing. Nice article. Thanks Mr. President and all that have worked to make this a reality.
The “reality” is that local folks will be paying $50 per pound for poke in a few years. Add to that, the increased dependency on foreign sources of seafood for our State. The next exotic disease outbreak will be attributed to the Democrats like Obama, Schatz and Ige who won’t care about who gets hurt by their insane policies.
I’m sorry that taking care of the planet is a burden on your diet. Lumber is expensive too, let’s just clear cut everything as well.
We have to think about the health of our oceans 100 years from now not you filling your belly on poke in a couple of years.
the reality is that if we will be paying $50/lb, we would be paying that with or without the expansion. Its actually a good argument for expansion, because it will mean that the ocean is mostly fished out everywhere else.
make tofu or taro poke – good stuff!
About time steps were taken to protect Hawaii fisheries. Maybe someday we’ll have fishing licenses and game wardens like other states and our local fish populations can begin to recover. No limits on any species is crazy.
I can’t believe how so many people have been fooled into believing the “junk science” that lead to this. President Obamas photo-op grabbing attempt to enhance his “legacy” is the greatest insult so far toward the people of Hawaii. The expansion of the marine sanctuary will do nothing to protect anything… only cripple the US fishing industry and raise prices. i can only wonder what he and our elected officials who bought into this scam are smoking… Shame, shame shame, Mr. President.
Nice try. Funny how you call it “junk science” but provide ZERO factual data of your own. If anything is an insult, it’s your post’s reflection on your parents and any educator who tried in vain to teach you. If you want to claim “junk science”, then prove it with better science. A hyperbolic claim of crippling the fishing industry is not data or science. It’s simply proof of a shortage of mental accuity.
Maybe the blame for this should go to the POTUS who started all this in the first place…George W. Bush.
In April 2006, President Bush and his wife viewed a screening of the documentary film Voyage to Kure at the White House along with its director, Jean-Michel Cousteau (son of documentary film maker Jacques-Yves Cousteau). Compelled by the film’s portrayal of the flora and fauna of the region, Bush moved quickly to protect the area.On June 15, 2006, President George W. Bush signed Proclamation 8031, designating the waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Using the Antiquities Act bypassed the normal year of consultations and halted the public input process on the eve of the dissemination of the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary. This was the second use by Bush of the Antiquities Act.
George W. Bush didn’t even use “junk science” in his decision to bypass public discussion to preserve the NW Hawaiian islands. He just thought it looked pretty.
Now the hard pert, enforcement. OHA is responsible. Slide some under the table and you can go.
Oh yeah, the “recreational fishing” and “Native Hawaiian practices” exceptions are ripe for fraud and abuse.
This really involved CONTROL. The Federal Government versus the State Government. International Countries versus the United States.
Local Fisherman came out on the short end.
What is written and how it will be enforced, will always be different.
sorry, it was never about local control. State waters extend 3 miles. Feds control everything beyond. Papahanaumokuakea already extended to 50 miles before the expansion, well into the EEZ. Besides that, it is well out of range of local fishermen
Maybe some of you local fishermen can help me understand this – how can increasing the size of a “no fishing” area insure that we increase our ability to catch and eat fish as Shatz puts it? Does he understand the words coming out of his mouth?
Work with the concept of “spill over” and “regeneration”. A natural balance is best … without man altering the natural course. Some areas should just be left alone … lots of areas have been raped and destroyed in the name of money. Think of it as a savings account … a long term investment that will pay dividends for future generations.
Various privileged groups still have access including elected officials, other government officials and employees and their families, friends, and invitees; scientists; native Hawaiians; NOAA expeditions, etc. etc. It’s just fishermen and the rest of us have been banned.
Oh – that makes it ok then.
that is some pristine waters. gorgeous.
Skip poke in the future…..eat more tofu bowls?
Good idea. No hepatitis that way.
taro too. both good.
The big question that needs to be answered is who will enforce preservation of the expanded limits? Is there really any enforcement now? How about foreign vessels? Is there federal funds allocated for enforcement? Will there be future federal funds for enforcement?
All good questions….generally, the U.S. Coast Guard will continue to be charged with enforcement of the expanded limits. The Hawaii longline fishery has been equipped for many years with a vessel monitoring system (VMS) that allows NMFS and the Coast Guard to monitor their location, movements and fishing activities. The Coast Guard also patrols the area with C-130 aircraft. Foreign vessels are already prohibited from fishing in this area because it is included in the US EEZ and they are not permitted to fish within 200 NM.
The practical implications of the establishment of the monument are really not all that significant. I’ve spent a lot of time in the NWHI….it’s rough, the waters are a long long way from places of refuge or to moor a vessel. No one is really allowed to enter this area on a routine basis, other than a small group of science, conservation, political and other government folks. The only time the vast majority of Americans will see this national treasure is on the Discovery Channel or similar.
There is really no contemporary commercial incentive to mine for minerals, petroleum products or other resources in this large area. Did I mention it is extremely remote, rough and deep water? I guess that could always change in the future.
Since the 50 miles offshore of the island were already protected from extracting marine resources, really what is being “protected” is the pelagic fish that don’t follow boundaries and move in and out of the area. They’ll be subject to both foreign and local long line fishing when they swim outside the area. The exceptions close to the main Hawaiian chain will help protect local coastal fishing. The Hawaii longliner fleet is generally well regulated these days, but losing he ability to fish in this large area will hurt their bottom line, to a limited degree. The bigger issue is that the US effort to restore our mostly depressed fisheries stock is structured on getting buy in from the commercial fishing fleets that we should use science to both protect the fishery stocks and sustain commercial fisheries. A mutually supportive goal, which is seeing significant success after many years of mutual failure. When decisions like this are made, on which there were public hearings but not much fisheries science, it short circuits that process. I think that it hurts the government’s credibility, somewhat.
The real environmental pressures on this unique area are “macro” pressures, marine debris, global warming and its effect on coral, and large distant water fishing fleets which roam the central and western pacific with rapacious efficiency. We address the local threats because it’s really hard to address the real ones that will have the most long term negative impacts.
In sum, I support the monument expansion in concept, it won’t double the price of sashimi here but it will hurt our commercial fisheries a bit, and as far as conservation, it won’t really move the needle much.