U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about transportation infrastructure during a visit to the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. on July 17, 2014.
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President Barack Obama has created the largest protected area on Earth, expanding a national marine monument in the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii to 582,578 miles: more than twice the size of France and some 50 times greater than the land area of the Aloha State. He has protected over 256 million acres of land and water throughout his presidency so far - more than any other administration in history. Recreational fishing will be allowed with a permit, as will scientific research and the removal of fish and other resources for native Hawaiian cultural practices.
Commercial fishing and drilling are prohibited, and the designation also has implications for navigation, with voluntary restrictions on travel through certain areas and a requirement that ships notify the U.S. Coast Guard when they enter or exit the area.
Earlier this week, Obama used the power to overcome congressional opposition to a National Park in northern ME, designating 87,500 acres of forest as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Some fishing groups are concerned that an expansion of the marine national monument will hurt their industry.
The monument was first designated by President George W. Bush in 2006. A research expedition to the sanctuary previous year discovered as many as 50 species that were either previously unknown, or not known to live in the area, according to the Post. The president was born in Hawaii and spent much of his childhood there.
The expanded monument area also contains resources of great historical and cultural significance. Brian Schatz and “prominent Native Hawaiian leaders”. Ron Kouchi. Kouchi said in an interview that he could back the expansion as long as it would be the last one.
The president will announce the new designation on Wednesday in Hawaii at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Conservation Congress. This didn’t bode well with local fishermen who say 60 percent of federal waters off Hawaii are now closed to fishing, catch valued at $100 million.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell released a statement saying the area is “home to one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems on the planet and a sacred place for the Native Hawaiian community”.
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Shipwrecks and downed aircraft from the Battle of Midway in the second world war dot the expansion area. Longline operators already catch about half their fish in global waters, and they reached their annual catch limit for big-eye tuna in early August. New satellite technology allows scientists and researchers to “see” the topography of the seafloor and can track individual animals, such as whales and seals, providing a better understanding of foraging and migration patterns.
