Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Totally Explained

Everything about Papah Naumoku Kea Marine National Monument totally explained

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (formerly the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument) is the largest Marine Protected Area in the world. The new native Hawaiian name, Papahānaumokuākea – chosen by state residents – reflects Hawaiian traditions relating to the birth of the Islands. According to folklore, Papahanaumoku is the goddess who birthed the islands; her husband was Wakea. The area was named by the U.S. television show Good Morning America and newspaper USA Today as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World".
The monument supports 7,000 species, one quarter of which are endemic. Prominent species include the threatened Green Sea Turtle and the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, the Laysan and Nihoa Finches, the Nihoa Millerbird, Laysan Duck, seabirds like the Laysan Albatross, numerous species of plants including Pritchardia palms, and many species of arthropods. According to NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, populations of spiny lobster have not recovered from an oceanographic ecosystem regime shift that affected the North Pacific during the late 1980s and early 1990s which reduced populations of a variety species, including seabirds and monk seals. According to the proclamation, by 2011, commercial fishing will end and the area will be promoted as a tourist destination.

Area and administration

As the 124th National Monument of the United States, it preserves much of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands under the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The monument covers roughly 140,000 square miles (360,000 km²) of reefs, atolls and shallow and deep sea (out to offshore) in the Pacific Ocean — larger than all of America's National Parks combined. It contains approximately 10 percent of the tropical shallow water coral reef habitat (for example, 0 to 100 fathoms) in U.S. territory. . It is slightly larger than Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, approximately the size of the country of Germany, and just slightly smaller than Montana. About of the monument were already part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve or the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. NOAA is responsible for the oceanic areas of the new monument; the Fish and Wildlife Service will continue responsibility for the land areas. An emergency landing strip on Midway Atoll for trans-Pacific flights will continue to be maintained.
The islands included in the monument are all part of the State of Hawaii, except Midway Atoll, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States.

History and establishment

The genesis of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) as a protected area began in 1909, when President Theodore Roosevelt created the Hawaiian Islands Reservation through Executive Order 1019, as a response to the over-harvesting of seabirds, and in recognition of the islands' importance as seabird nesting sites. Its status was later upgraded to the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 1940 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A series of incremental protections for the NWHI followed, leading to the establishment of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 1988, Kure Atoll State Wildlife Sanctuary in 1993, and the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve in 2000.
   The Executive Orders that created the Reserve in 2000 initiated a process to designate the waters of the NWHI as a National Marine Sanctuary. A public comment period began in 2002. In 2005, Governor of Hawaii Linda Lingle declared parts of the monument a state marine refuge.
   In April of 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 .
   It was proclaimed by President George W. Bush on June 15, 2006 under the 1906 Antiquities Act, bypassing the normal year of consultations and halting 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, following the declaration of the African Burial Ground National Monument on Manhattan in February 2006..
   After the signing of the proclamation, Joshua Reichert (Head of Environmental Programs at the Pew Charitable Trusts, an institution which had advocated strongly for the elimination of commercial fishing) explained the importance of the timely designation in an interview on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer:
Stephanie Fried of Environmental Defense expressed "tremendous concern" that commercial activity, including eco-tourism and commercial fishing, could take place in the reserve, but details on the rules were not immediately available.
   Frank McCoy, chair of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, said: "We are pleased the President recognizes the near pristine condition of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands waters. We believe the abundance and biodiversity of the area attests to the successful management of the NWHI fisheries by the Council the past 30 years and indicates that properly regulated fisheries can operate in the NWHI without impacting the ecosystem. The small NWHI bottomfish fishery hasn't and wouldn't jeopardize the protection of the NWHI that President Bush is pursuing by designating the area a national monument." . The National Marine Fisheries Service has published reports attesting to the health of the NWHI bottomfish stocks . Commercial bottomfish and pelagic fishing as well as recreational catch-and-keep and catch-and-release fishing were also deemed compatible to the goals and objectives of the proposed NWHI National Marine Sanctuary .
   The NWHI accounted for approximately half of the locally landed bottomfish in Hawaii, and these fish are highly valued by local chefs and local consumers. Concerns have been raised about Hawaii having to import these fish from other areas of the Pacific that don't have the resources to manage and monitor their fisheries effectively. The NWHI bottomfish fishery is a limited entry fishery, with eight active vessels, which are restricted to in length.
   The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands accounts for approximately two-thirds of the waters of Hawaii, an island state with limited land resources and no continental shelf. With inclusion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, more than 65 percent of the potential shallow water coral ecosystems of the U.S. Pacific islands are now protected.
   On January 22, 2008, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument would be one of 14 sites added to the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List for submission to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on February 1, 2008 .

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