#Papahānaumokuākea

After a full discussion and hearing approximately 70 written and oral public comments at its recent meeting, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council took final action to restore commercial fishing in parts of the Pacific Islands Heritage, Rose Atoll, Marianas Trench and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monuments.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will deliberate on two major actions at its 206th meeting next week allowing US fishermen to fish in US Pacific marine national monuments.

After 80 years, Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) is once again home to the endangered ʻekupuʻu (Laysan finch). On July 21 and 22, a team of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff and partners released 100 birds at Kuaihelani on Eastern Island, making this the first time in eight decades that ʻekupuʻu graces the fields and skies of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge and Battle of Midway Memorial.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group are speaking out in opposition to the renewed push to open the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary to commercial fishing, following a presidential executive order (EO14276) and the Western Pacific Regional Fishing Management Council reaffirming its position to allow commercial fishing in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. 

NOAA 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. 

Public comments are due Jan. 17 on Elon Musk’s plans for his SpaceX rockets to splash down in a much wider area, including Hawaiian waters and 240 nautical miles east of the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary.

A new study shows some evidence that catch rates increase near large-scale marine protected areas, providing economic benefits to nearby fishing vessels.

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. 

A team of 12 from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization, returned to Honolulu, having conducted their first of three marine debris cleanups planned for 2024. The latest mission lasted 19 days, from April 15 to May 3, with crews removing a total of 70,080 pounds of marine debris and cleaning 10.7 miles of shoreline at Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

NOAA Fisheries proposes new critical habitat designations for five threatened coral species in the Pacific Islands, focusing on areas essential for coral growth and resilience.

A team of freedivers from the Honolulu-based nonprofit organization Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project returned on Saturday from a 28 day cleanup expedition to the remote Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. 

A team from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization, returned to Honolulu on Wednesday, with 86,100 pounds of marine debris removed from shallow coral reefs and shorelines of the islands and atolls within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. 

NOAA is investing $17 million from the Inflation Reduction Act in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to improve the climate resilience of the Kīhei, Maui visitor and community center. The facility’s beachfront location makes it vulnerable to climate change impacts, including upland flooding, powerful storms and sand inundation.

A team from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organization, returned to Honolulu recently aboard the 185-ft ship M/V Imua with another 53 tons (105,655 pounds) of marine debris removed from reefs and beaches of the islands and atolls within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.  

A new red algae species from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was named after the late conservation leader Laura Kalaukapu Thompson.

The public can watch live streamed undersea footage from the Luʻuaeaahikiikekumu expedition that is exploring underwater mountains at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument on NautilusLive.org.

During a 20-day deep-sea research expedition in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, researchers from NOAA, Ocean Exploration Trust and their partners found “amazing” rich and diverse deep coral and sponge communities.

The crew found that much of the large table corals are no longer there due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Walaka. At the same time, they discovered many small, fast-growing coral polyps that build the big table corals.

Themed “Navigating the Kupuna Islands,” the voyage will bring the canoes to Nihoa, Mokumanamana and Lalo (French Frigate Shoals) and will focus on the voyaging, cultural and ecological significance of these places.

From March 30 through April 21, a team of scientists carried out a 24-day expedition to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The expedition returned to Honolulu late Tuesday, April 20 with 47.2 tons of marine debris.