New Members Appointed for Humpback Whale Sanctuary Council

Photo courtesy Whale Trust.

By Maui Now Staff

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary has appointed eight new members for its advisory council.

The council provides guidance for sanctuary programs and management in its continuing effort to protect the endangered species.

Six primary and two non-governmental members will serve on the council, meeting several times a year and representing a variety of local groups, as well as the general public.

The new members are:

Citizen-at-Large: James Eldon Coon
Conservation: Barbara Maka‘ala Ka‘aumoana
Lāna‘i: Solomon Kaho‘ohalahala
Moloka‘i: Walter Ritte
Ocean Recreation: Douglass Cole
Research Alternate: Mark Henry Deakos
Youth: John Bradley Taschner
Youth Alternate: Clarissa Marie Honeker

The new appointees, to be seated at the next council meeting, will serve a two-year term. Other council seats with members who are continuing their terms represent business-commerce, education, fishing, tourism, Native Hawaiians, Hawai‘i, Honolulu, Kaua‘i, and Maui.

“The Sanctuary Advisory Council connects community and stakeholder groups with the sanctuary management team,” said Sanctuary Superintendent Malia Chow. “It serves a very important role in helping to engage communities as we continue our management plan review process.”

The advisory council was established in 1996 and consists of government and non-government representatives totaling 53 members. It is jointly administered by the NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the State of Hawai‘i through the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The sanctuary is tasked with the protection of humpback whales–an endangered species since 1970 as designated by the Endangered Species Conservation Act–through research, education, conservation, and stewardship.

Visit the organization online at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.