Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA designate 18th National Marine Sanctuary

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is designating the marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a 582,570 square-mile area in the Pacific Ocean, as America’s 18th national marine sanctuary. Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary will be the largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System, and is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. 

Located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary will provide additional ways to manage and protect the area’s nationally significant biological, cultural and historical resources. 

Sanctuary designation will not change the area’s status as a marine national monument. The sanctuary designation advances President Biden’s ocean conservation legacy and his America the Beautiful initiative, which supports locally-led, collaborative conservation efforts across the country.

“National marine sanctuary designation will bring a stronger framework for marine conservation and protection to the waters of Papahānaumokuākea,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “The Sanctuary will also facilitate scientific research, resource monitoring and coordinated efforts to ensure the long-term health of this natural, cultural and historically significant area.”

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will co-manage the sanctuary with the State of Hawaʻi and in partnership with NOAA Fisheries, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, consistent with the existing management of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

The sanctuary boundary will include the marine environment surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands from the shoreline of the islands and atolls seaward to 200 nautical miles. It will encompass an expansive area of coral reefs, seamounts, banks and shoals that are home to a wide variety of invertebrates, fish, birds, marine mammals and other wildlife — many of which are found only in the Hawaiian Islands. 

Sanctuary designation will take effect after 45 days of continuous session of the US Congress,  following publication of the final rule, during which time the Governor of Hawaiʻi may review the terms of designation where the sanctuary overlaps with state waters. The sanctuary designation is anticipated to take effect March 2025.

Papahānaumokuākea holds deep cultural importance for Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians), who view it as a sacred place where all life begins, and a place where ancestral spirits return after death. Decades of work by multiple agencies, organizations and individuals have increased protections for Papahānaumokuākea. The area has a long history of consideration for national marine sanctuary designation, dating back more than two decades.

“The designation of Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary in Hawaiʻi will enhance protection for this special place and support enhanced opportunities for education and research,” said Gov. Josh Green, M.D.  “In moving forward with the designation, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries carefully considered and reinforced a visionary co-management structure that includes the State of Hawaiʻi, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, NOAA Fisheries and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The sanctuary will complement the existing marine national monument and allow for the development of a new sail plan that charts an inspiring course forward for the people of Hawaiʻi and throughout the Pacific.” 

Green has accepted the final environmental impact statement for the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary under the Hawaiʻi Environmental Policy Act. The acceptance was published in the state’s Environmental Notice on Jan. 8.

Various protection efforts in the region have been enacted for over a century by six Presidents and one governor of Hawaiʻi, beginning in 1903 with President Theodore Roosevelt. 

Most recently, in 2006, President George W. Bush established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, and one year later renamed the monument  Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to honor Hawaiian language and culture. 

The area also contains the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the Battle of Midway National Memorial, Kure Atoll Wildlife Sanctuary and the Hawai‘i State NWHI Marine Refuge.