Celebrating 15 Years of Accomplishments
On June 15, 2006, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 8031, creating the largest marine protected area in the world at the time. A year later, it was given its Hawaiian name, Papahānaumokuākea.
This year, we celebrate fifteen years of accomplishments made in conservation management, restoration and discovery, and recognize Hawaii's role in ushering in a new genre of marine conservation: large-scale marine protected areas (LSMPAs).
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Large Scale Marine Protected Areas
For 25 years, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was the largest marine conservation area on Earth. Then, in 2000 with the establishment of the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, known today as Papahānaumokuākea, the potential for birthing a new genre of marine conservation became a reality.
A Large Scale Marine Protected Area (LSMPA) is an area approximately 250,000 km2 in size that is actively managed for protection across the entire geographic boundary of the site. Sustainable use is permitted provided that it is not the primary management objective for the area.
After two decades of growth, marine conservation at-scale is a legitimate conservation tool.
The total count of established LSMPAs has increased to 33, and several more declared sites are in the queue. Collectively, today’s established LSMPAs represent commitments from 16 countries, protecting approximately 16.6 million km2 of the ocean (4.6% of the global total). Assuming the declarations move to establishment in the near term, this would add ~6.5 million km2 of ocean to boost the total to just over 23 million km2.
Learn more about Big Ocean: bigoceanmanagers.org
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Protected Areas Marine LSMPA Task Force.
Images (from left): NOAA and Big Ocean
Marine Debris Removal
More than 1000 tons of marine debris has been removed from the Monument – that’s equal to the weight of more than 1,000 Volkswagen Beetles or 300 Asian elephants!
Since 1996, NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center’s (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) (formerly known as the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) Marine Debris Project has led marine debris survey and removal efforts in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Throughout the years, this project continued with support from NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration Marine Debris Program, NOAA’s Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program, the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Coast Guard.
Over the past 25 years, agency staff and partners have removed a total of 923 metric tons (1,017 standard tons or 2 million lbs.) of derelict fishing gear and plastics from the shorelines and shallow coral reef environments of what is now Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.Read more about marine debris removal in the Monument:
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
- NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program
- NOAA Office of Response and Restoration Marine Debris Program
- Marine debris information from the State of Hawaiʻi
- NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
- 47.2 tons of marine debris removed from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Images (from left): Steven Gnam/NOAA Fisheries, NOAA, and James Morioka/NOAA Fisheries
Working for Wildlife: ʻĪlioholoikauaua
The endangered ʻīlioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seal), along with its Mediterranean cousin, outlived its Caribbean counterpart, which was hunted to extinction. It survives today, dependent on the beaches and rocky shores of Papahānaumokuākea for hauling out, resting and pupping.
Through the work of NOAA Fisheries’ staff and partners, a number of ʻīlioholoikauaua are alive today because they directly benefited- or are the pup or grandpup of a female that benefited- from a life-saving intervention. These interventions include disentanglement from marine debris, translocation to areas of greater safety or food, providing medical care, reuniting pups with mothers, or rehabilitation through a partnership with The Marine Mammal Center's Ke Kai Ola facility on Hawaii Island.
Following at least six decades of rapid decline, recent population assessment results have been encouraging, with the population experiencing a growth rate of about 2 percent annually since 2013. There are now estimated to be around 1,400 ʻīlioholoikauaua, with roughly 1,100 of those seals in Papahānaumokuākea and 300 in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). This recent growth trend is in part due to improved juvenile survival at some sites in Papahānaumokuākea. However, much of the growth in the species is in the MHI subpopulation, where there is compelling evidence of population growth since at least 2013. (Data collected under MMPA/ESA permits 848-1335, 848-1696, 10137 and 16632)
Images (from top): PIFSC, NOAA, Jon Brack, and NOAA.
Working for Wildlife: Ulūlu
The endangered ulūlu (Nihoa Millerbird) is a small, lively terrestrial songbird species living exclusively within Papahānaumokuākea.
The Laysan Millerbird, along with the Laysan Rail and Laysan Honeycreeper, went extinct in the early 20th century when Laysan Island was denuded by non-native rabbits. Thus the Millerbirds remaining on Nihoa – a rugged 155 acre volcanic island – became the only Millerbirds left on Earth.
In 2011 and 2012, 50 Millerbirds were translocated 650 miles from Nihoa to Laysan Island to extend the range and changes of survival for this critically endangered species. The translocation project was the result of many years of research and detailed planning by biologists and resource managers, led by a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the American Bird Conservancy.
Both populations of Nihoa Millerbirds are thriving today, with roughly 600 on Nihoa and more than 165 on Laysan Island.
Read about the Millerbird population increase »
Learn about the relocation effort »
Video of millerbird translocation
Images (from top): Robby Kohley/Pacific Rim Conservation, Robby Kohley/Pacific Rim Conservation, George Wallace/American Bird Conservancy, and Robby Kohley/Pacific Rim Conservation.
Working for Wildlife: Koloa pōhaka
The endangered koloa pōhaka (Laysan duck), is the rarest waterfowl species in the Northern hemisphere and has the smallest geographic range of any duck in the world. It once lived throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago but vanished from the main Hawaiian Islands with the arrival of rats around 800 years ago. They later disappeared from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands except for a small population that existed in isolation on Laysan Island for more than 150 years. In 1911, only 11 ducks were observed on Laysan Island.
In an effort to extend its range and changes of survival, in 2004 and 2005, a total of 42 Laysan ducks were translocated from Laysan Island to Midway Atoll in the Monument. Within a few months these ducks produced broods of ducklings at rates greater than ever recorded. In 2014, 28 ducks were translocated from Midway Atoll to neighboring Kure Atoll and are successfully breeding.
The Monument now safeguards almost 1100 Laysan ducks – approximately 40 on Kure, 600 on Midway and 450 on Laysan Island.
Read about koloa pōhaka translocation »
Translocated Laysan ducks become parents »
Images (from top): USFWS, John Klavitter/USFWS, Matthew Saunter/Hawaiʻi DLNR, and Naomi Worcester/Hawaiʻi DLNR.
Scientific Exploration: Discoveries
New species of fishes, octopus and algae.
New seamounts, some of which are over 14,000 feet in elevation – that’s more than the height of 10 Empire State Buildings!
The largest sponge in the world, comparable in size to a minivan.
The largest gorgonian coral in the world, reaching 19 feet in height.
The oldest marine organism in the world – a deep-sea black coral that can live up to 4,500 years!
Reefs with 100% unique fishes – this is the highest level of endemism from any known marine ecosystem on Earth.
The remote waters of Papahānaumokuākea have only scarcely been surveyed and represent an enormous opportunity for scientific discoveries.
Research expeditions using closed-circuit rebreathers and technical diving have returned with a treasure trove of new species from deep reefs between 150 and 330 feet.
New findings are made on virtually every expedition to the monument, including new species, genera, habitats, geological features, the oldest animal, the largest sponge, the largest coral, and deep coral reefs composed entirely of endemic fishes, species found nowhere else in the world.
Completely new to science, several new species of algae were given formal scientific names in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), in coordination with the PMNM Cultural Working Group and other cultural practitioners.
Learn more about these discoveries:
Wave glider conducts soundscape research in the monument »
Algae species discovered infesting NW Hawaiian waters has been identified »
New Algae Species Discovered in Hawaii's Deep Waters »
Coral Reef Fish named in Honor of President Obama Unique to Papahānaumokuākea »
Scientists discover a new deep-reef Butterflyfish species in Papahānaumokuākea »
News about world's largest sponge »
2015 mesophotic research expedition »
News about new black coral species »
2014 mesophotic research expedition »
More info on endemism in the Monument »
Images (from top): NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Greg McFall/NOAA, NOAA and Richard Pyle/Bishop Museum, and Chris Kelley/NOAA/HURL.
Scientific Exploration: Seafloor Mapped
Deep-water environments make up the vast majority of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; more than 98% of its waters lie below 100 meters, yet its seafloor had been largely uncharted until recently. Expeditions in 2014 aboard the R/V Falkor operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, in 2015 and 2016 aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and in 2018 aboard the E/V Nautilus operated by Ocean Exploration Trust mapped previously unexplored areas of the Monument. Using state of-the-art seafloor sonar systems, these expeditions mapped over 166 km2 of Papahānaumokuākea’s seafloor, an area more than 10 times larger than the total land area of all of the Main Hawaiian Islands combined.
Scientists aboard these expeditions also mapped over 30 seamounts inside the Monument, none of which had been previously mapped. Seamounts are important deep-water habitats, as they harbor some of the most dense and diverse communities of deep-sea corals and sponges. In addition to creating high-resolution data for over half of the area of the Monument, the mapping efforts also revealed that the Monument is deeper than previously thought, with some areas being over 5,300 m in depth.
Learn more about mapping efforts in the Monument:
- Nautilus expedition in the Monument
- Okeanos expedition in the Monument
- 2016 Hohonu Moana
- 2015 Hohonu Moana
- Falkor expedition in the Monument
- Falkor first leg of journey in the Monument
- Falkor second leg of journey in the Monument
Images (from left): Chris Kelley/University of Hawaiʻi and NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
Maritime Discoveries
Hundreds of reported lost shipwrecks and aircraft within PMNM waters; 31 of these sites have been located and assessed to date, including:
- 9 World War II era shipwreck sites
- 5 World War II era sunken aircraft sites
- 5 Historic whaling shipwreck sites
- 1 Civil War era naval gunboat
- 11 sunken merchant/other vessels
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument possesses a rich maritime heritage stretching back to a time long before written records. Many sailors successfully navigated their way through these remote, low-lying atolls. However, these atolls also meant tragedy and danger for sailors on the 60 shipwrecks reported lost in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Maritime heritage research has been instrumental in opening a window into the region’s seafaring past, and has contributed to what we know about humans’ historical interaction with the sea. These sites are not only part of an underwater environment but are intimately connected with broader maritime landscapes—heritage sites on land, in ports, and in cities that developed because of maritime trade, as well as communities that were shaped by a history of colonization.
Maritime heritage sites on PMNM’s seafloor include the material remains of American and British whaling vessels, Japanese junks, navy steamers, Hawaiian fishing sampans, Pacific colliers, salvage vessels, a destroyer and aircraft carriers from the WWII era, and American and Japanese aircraft.
Learn more about the Monument's Maritime Heritage program »
WWII Japanese warships discovered off Midway by R/V Petrel »
Images (from top): Greg McFall/NOAA, Tane Casserly/NOAA, Robert Schwemmer/NOAA, Tane Casserly/NOAA, and R/V Petrel/Vulcan Inc.
Native Hawaiian: Cultural Resurgence
40 Native Hawaiian cultural activities
Also known as the Kūpuna (Ancestral or Elder) Islands, Papahānaumokuākea is connected to Native Hawaiian cultural identity and the traditional and customary values, knowledge, and practices that protect and perpetuate Hawaiian lifeways. The Native Hawaiian community continues to access Papahānaumokuākea for various cultural and spiritual practices to reinforce their kuleana (cultural heritage rights and responsibilities), advance Hawaiian knowledge systems, and inform the collective stewardship work in the inhabited Hawaiian islands, often referred to as the Main Hawaiian Islands. With the revival of Polynesian practices for voyaging and way-finding aboard double-hulled sailing canoes, the vast seascape of Papahānaumokuākea provides an ancestral training ground for emerging apprentice navigators. The voyage from the islands of Niʻihau and Lehua to the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana in Papahānaumokuākea serves as a significant benchmark in their training. We are now in an era in which Native Hawaiians are advancing traditional wayfinding techniques for the first time in hundreds of years aboard double-hulled sailing canoes like Hōkūleʻa.
Learn more about the Monument's Native Hawaiian program »
Learn more about Papahānaumokuākea from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs »
Images (from top): Jamie Makasobe, Kanoe Morishige, Kaleomanuiwa Wong, and Brad Ka‘aleleo Wong/OHA.
