Marine Conservation Biology - Hawaii

Conserving Marine Biodiversity in the World’s Most Remote Island Chain

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

In late September 2005, Hawaii’s Governor Linda Lingle signed a rule that protect the shallow state waters surrounding islands and atolls in the vast Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) archipelago. This far-flung archipelago is home to some of the most pristine coral reefs on earth and is the location of the main breeding grounds for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. In June 2006, President Bush signed a proclamation that created the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the largest fully protected marine protected area on the planet. Commercial fishing in the Monument will be phased out over a five-year period – an unpopular decision for commercial bottom fishermen and their representatives. Why was this area declared a Marine National Monument and not a Sanctuary? Is this level of protection too much or too little?