NOAA adds more opportunities to comment on marine sanctuary plan

Convict Tangs. (MORGAN WINSTON/NOAA)

HONOLULU, Oʻahu—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is adding two more virtual meetings as it seeks public input on a proposal to create a new national marine sanctuary in and around the Pacific Remote Islands.

Members of the PRI Coalition, which submitted the sanctuary nomination, are traveling throughout the Pacific to participate in ongoing public meetings and to encourage discussion within Indigenous Pacific Islander communities.

The proposal under consideration seeks not only to protect rare marine lifeforms and the pristine ecosystem in and around the PRI, but to also preserve and perpetuate the cultural and historic significance of the area for many Indigenous Pacific Islanders.

“We are having meaningful conversations with our Pacific Island cousins about something we are all passionate about—how the ocean connects us all,” said Hoku Cody, campaign manager for the PRI Coalition. “Communication is crucial to this effort, and these public meetings provide a space for each perspective to share their reasons, thoughts, critiques, and concerns. It is also an opportunity for us to correct any misinformation circulating right now.”

Despite claims by the industrial fishing industry that a sanctuary designation in the area would significantly impact economies, science and data show that is not the case. According to an independent analysis of fishing effort in the PRI using publicly available Global Fishing Watch data, from 2013 to 2022, less than a half percent of the U.S. purse seine and U.S. longline fleets’ fishing effort happens inside the currently unprotected area. Recent studies on Papahānaumokuākea show that fishing on the outer edges of the closed area results in greater catches. The yellowfin catch went up 50% on the area just outside Papahānaumokuākea, a strong indication that marine protected areas are effective.

Palmyra Atoll. (ERIK OBERG/ISLAND CONSERVATION)

Public comments are being accepted by NOAA as it considers whether to designate a national marine sanctuary for the area—about 777,000 square miles in and around the PRI—which would make it the world’s largest protected ocean area. The nomination calls for the sanctuary area to honor the cultural and historical legacy of these islands and atolls, preserve the area as an intact cultural voyaging seascape, and protect abundant populations of wildlife such as coral, fish, sharks, turtles, rays, whales, dolphins, birds, and other important marine ocean species in the face of threats like deep-sea mining, climate change, and overfishing.

A national marine sanctuary designation would not only ensure the highest protections for the ocean and marine life. This proposed designation also:

●  Encourages a co-management structure that includes the voices of Indigenous Pacific Islanders in the decision-making process.

●  Advocates for a culturally-appropriate process for renaming the area.

●  Expands protections across the entire 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Remote Islands Area around Howland and Baker Islands and Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll.

In-person meetings have been held in Hawaiʻi, Guam, and CNMI. The next in-person meeting is set for American Samoa on May 24. Two virtual meetings have been added for May 25/26 and May 31/June 1, depending on time zone. Public comments will be accepted virtually, online, or by mail through June 2, 2023. Additional information on upcoming meeting locations and how to submit comments online or by mail, can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/pacific-remote-islands/.

For more information, visit protectPRI.com. (PR)