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Marine debris removal season at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument ends with record-breaking results

October 29, 2024 — This year, the conclusion of the marine debris removal season in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument resulted in the largest amount of marine debris removed from the site in a mission season since NOAA began removal efforts in 1996.

Through a partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and other partners, a team of 16 from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project removed 298,180 pounds of marine debris from the monument during three missions from April to October 2024. The removed marine debris includes 191,860 pounds of derelict fishing nets, 4,600 pounds of abandoned and derelict vessels and 101,720 pounds of plastic and other debris. The team also released four Hawaiian green sea turtles entangled in derelict fishing nets.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site, encompasses a remote group of islands, reefs and atolls in the northwestern sector of the Hawaiian Islands. The site is home to thousands of species of fish and wildlife, — some that are only found in the Hawaiian Islands — including threatened and endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal, Hawaiian green sea turtle and Laysan albatross. Papahānaumokuākea is a sacred Native Hawaiian landscape and is home to numerous important archaeological sites. Marine debris removal is of critical importance to both the natural and cultural components of the monument.

Read the full article at Maui Now

HAWAII: Removing Ghost Nets from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

September 23, 2024 — The Hawaiian archipelago extends far beyond its eight main islands to include 137 islands, atolls and shoals stretching 1,591 miles, from Kure Atoll in the northwest to Hawai’i Island in the southeast.

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a vast and remote area that encompasses the low-lying Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, atolls and surrounding sea.

“Most people don’t really know it’s even a part of Hawai‘i, let alone 75% of the length of the Hawaiian archipelago,” says Kevin O’Brien, founder and president of the nonprofit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project.

Read the full article at Hawaii Business

Efforts to take Hawaiian monk seals off the endangered species list

February 24, 2024 — Throughout 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted multiple Hawaiian monk seal research camps in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. NOAA researchers said the total population size is between 1,512 and 1,743. After decades of declining numbers, the number of monk seals has increased on average by 2 percent per year since 2013.

During NOAA’s last assessment and recovery camp, they documented 170 Hawaiian monk seal pups born last year at the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

“A lot of the important work that we do is being out at the field sites during the reproductive season, so that we have a chance to catch situations that may come up that would cause a seal to not survive,” said Thea Johanos, the supervisory research biologist for NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program.

Read the full article at KITV

Hilborn lab finds counterevidence to study claiming MPAs have “spillover” effect

April 2, 2o23 — A new analysis by the University of Washington’s Sustainable Fisheries Lab is countering a study that claims the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the U.S., caused a “spillover effect” in yellowfin tuna.

The study, “Spillover benefits from the world’s largest fully protected MPA,” claimed it found “clear evidence” of spillover effects for both bigeye and yellowfin tuna. A spillover effect refers to when the population of a particular species in an MPA becomes so abundant that it “spills over” into surrounding areas that can be targeted by fishermen.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Expedition Discovers Rich Coral Life at Marine Monument

December 14, 2021 — Incredibly rich and diverse deep coral and sponge communities are thriving in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, researchers concluded after a 20-day deep-sea research expedition.

The team of NOAA, Ocean Exploration Trust, researchers and partners returned from the voyage on Dec. 6. What they encountered during the course of their work blew them away.

“The sheer size and density of some of these ancient sponges boggles my mind. This expedition shows me what a treasure we have in the monument,” said Dr. Christopher Kelley, retired University of Hawai’i researcher and one of the leaders of the expedition. “In my 21 years exploring the deep-sea environment of Hawai’i, and well over 100 submersible and ROV dives in the archipelago, the communities on these seamounts have to rank as some of the best I have seen.”

The research team reported their findings in a press release issued Monday, Dec. 13.

Read the full story at Big Island Now

US considers creating national marine sanctuary off Hawaii

November 22, 2021 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is considering additional protections for waters off the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

NOAA announced the proposal to designate oceanic areas of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which is already one of the largest protected natural areas in the world, as a national marine sanctuary on Friday. The agency opened the plan to public comment through January.

The designation would build on existing protections meant to maintain marine habitats and wildlife. The new rules would apply only to oceanic areas, not the islands that are already part of the monument.

Read the full story at the AP

NOAA considers marine sanctuary off Hawaiian Islands

November 19, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA announced today it is initiating the process to consider designating the marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a national marine sanctuary. This designation would build on existing management in the marine portions of the monument by adding the conservation benefits and enhanced long-term protection of a national marine sanctuary.

The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Report for Fiscal Year 2021 directed NOAA to initiate the process to designate the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a national marine sanctuary to supplement and complement, rather than supplant, existing authorities. Stakeholders and partners, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council and the State of Hawai’i, support the current sanctuary designation process.

Since the designation of the site as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve by President Clinton in 2000, the designation as a marine national monument by President Bush in 2006, and the expansion of the monument by President Obama in 2016, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has been a key partner and co-managing agency in the management of Papahānaumokuākea. NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, State of Hawaiʻi and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs co-manage the monument, and that hallmark co-management structure will continue. This initiative is being conducted in cooperation with the co-trustees.

“Papahānaumokuākea’s ecosystems are increasingly under pressure from threats such as marine debris, invasive species, and climate change,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator. “Designation of the monument’s waters as a national marine sanctuary would complement the efforts of the four co-trustees to safeguard the monument’s natural, cultural, and historic values.”

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest contiguous fully-protected conservation area under the U.S. flag, encompassing an area of 582,578 square miles of the Pacific Ocean—an area larger than all the country’s national parks combined. Home to the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal, threatened green turtles, extensive coral reef habitat, and many species found nowhere else on earth, the complex and highly productive marine ecosystems of the monument are significant contributors to the biological diversity of the ocean.

Papahānaumokuākea is of great importance to Native Hawaiians. Throughout the expanse of the monument, there are many wahi pana (places of great cultural significance and practice) where Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners of today reconnect with their ancestors and gods. The monument is also home to a variety of post-Western-contact historic resources, such as those associated with the Battle of Midway and 19th century commercial whaling.

Many of the monument’s extensive education, outreach, and research accomplishments have been executed under the authority of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. Sanctuary designation would enhance the benefits and expertise offered by the National Marine Sanctuary System and NOAA staff.

Designation would also allow NOAA to apply additional regulatory and non-regulatory tools to augment and strengthen existing protections for Papahānaumokuākea ecosystems, wildlife, and cultural and maritime heritage resources. The sanctuary designation would not include any terrestrial areas or change the monument designation.

NOAA is accepting public comment on the proposal through Jan. 31, 2022. For more information on the proposed sanctuary designation and how to comment, see the Federal Register notice. Learn more at here.

Please view our media resources page for images, video, and maps.

 

Success of the 2021 Mission to Clean up Marine Debris

September 27, 2021 — Scientists and divers from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and local nonprofit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) returned to Honolulu on September 22, 2021, from a 30-day mission. The team removed marine debris from the shallow reefs and shorelines of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These remote islands and atolls are centered among Pacific currents that carry lost and abandoned fishing nets and gear from all over the Pacific Ocean. The debris entangles wildlife and damages corals. Even during this mission, the team disentangled a 5-year-old female Hawaiian monk seal from derelict fishing rope.

The project staff collect valuable data during these missions:

  • Assessing the abundance and distribution of marine debris across Papahānaumokuākea
  • Evaluating rates of marine debris accumulation
  • Measuring habitat damage and the negative impacts of marine debris on coral reefs
  • Gauging recovery of coral reefs after marine debris removal
  • Increasing public awareness of marine debris issues through communication and outreach

The team of 16 divers expected to remove more than 110,000 pounds of derelict fishing nets, plastics, and other marine debris. Over only 18 days, they collected even more—nearly 124,000 pounds of debris—from these islands, atolls, and reefs of the monument:

  • Kamokuokamohoaliʻi (Maro Reef)—nearly 43,000 pounds
  • Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll)—approximately 24,500 pounds
  • Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll)—23,650 pounds
  • Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll)—nearly 16,000 pounds
  • Kapou (Lisianski Island)—nearly 11,500 pounds
  • Kamole (Laysan Island)—more than 5,000 pounds

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

Scientists to Evaluate Impacts of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Expansion

September 16, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) suggested developing a working group to evaluate the impacts of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) expansion on Hawai‘i-based fisheries. Several recently published peer-review scientific papers show differing impacts and are unclear on this contentious issue.

In 2016, President Obama issued a proclamation to expand the existing monument from 50 to 200 nautical miles around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Council and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) staffs and the SSC would work jointly to examine the expansion’s potential local economic and other impacts, and determine whether the area is achieving its stated management objectives. The working group would share its results with the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils that are providing feedback on President Biden’s 30×30 area-based management initiative.

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is in the initial stages of responding to the president’s request to initiate a new designation process for a NWHI sanctuary. As part of this process, the Council is afforded the opportunity to provide input on any potential fishing regulations. The National Marine Sanctuaries Act designation process requires compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable laws. This was circumvented by the presidential proclamations to create the PMNM in 2006 and the expanded area in 2016, which effectively cut out the local community’s engagement and input on the matter.

—

PIFSC presented a research plan to the SSC on investigating the impact of imports on the Hawai‘i fish market. Recently, the price of bigeye ahi exceeded $20 per pound at the market—several times more than what buyers usually pay. Prices then stayed around $11–12 per pound and cooled off to $7–8 per pound during the second week in August.

The Hawai‘i market had an extreme shortage of foreign-sourced pelagic fish products and an overall decreased supply in the local market—mainly from local Hawaiian fisheries. The supply shortage, coupled with the increase in tourism after COVID-19 restrictions were partially lifted, created a “perfect storm” for the consumer.

The SSC suggested that consumer choice and fish substitution be incorporated into PIFSC’s model to attempt to discern the true value difference between fish species. Fish originating from different locations outside of Hawai‘i are not equivalent in terms of quality or type of fish. PIFSC anticipates the final report will be available for review in August 2022.

The SSC meeting continues through tomorrow, Sept. 16, 2021. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agenda and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/event/141st-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting.

 

HAWAII: Marine debris team joins the Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project to remove fishing nets from coral reefs

August 30, 2021 — NOAA and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project partner to remove derelict fishing nets from coral reefs across the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

Scientists and divers from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center are teaming up with divers from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project for a 30-day mission to remove marine debris from the islands and atolls within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

The team departed Honolulu on the M/V Imua on Tuesday. We expect the ship to return with more than 110,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear and other marine debris at the end of September.

The 2021 marine debris removal mission will focus on surveying for and removing marine debris from coral reefs and coastal environments. They will be working on Kamole (Laysan Island), Kamokuokamohoali‘i (Maro Reef), Kapou (Lisianski Island), Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll), Holaniku (Kure Atoll), and Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll).

Read the full story at KITV

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