May 18, 2023 — AS the public comment deadline for a proposed designation of a marine sanctuary in the central Pacific draws near, the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition expects a “lively discussion of comments” at upcoming public meetings.
The PRI Coalition is a Hawaii-based organization formed in 2014. According to their website, they support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposal to designate the Pacific Remote Islands as a new marine sanctuary.
The PRI Coalition, however, is not the officiating governing body that designates new marine sanctuaries. They are merely advocates for such actions over the Pacific Remote Islands, which include Wake Atoll, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Howland and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. These islands are around 2,000 nautical miles east of the CNMI.