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.
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He will visit the landmark Midway Atoll at the western edge of the region to talk about the climate change threat and the significance of public lands and waters protection.
The designation will quadruple the size of the current protected area surrounding the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which was designated as a national monument by George W. Bush in 2006.
A related issue that has emerged from my review is the inter-relationship between the much larger purse-seine fishing industry in the Pacific and the smaller longline fishing industry, and the relative impact on the health of the tuna fisheries and on the Hawai’i-based fishing industry. Martin has previously estimated the fleet catches about 2 million pounds of fish annually from the proposed expansion area.
The expansion is expected to provide critical protections for more than 7,000 marine species, including endangered whales and sea turtles, and black coral, which are believed to be the longest-living marine species in the world, capable of living for more than 4,500 years, according to the White House. A fact sheet previewing the announcement states that the expanded area is considered a sacred place for Native Hawaiians. Additionally, within the monument expansion area, there are shipwrecks and downed aircraft from the Battle of Midway in World War II, a battle that marked a major shift in the progress of the war in favor of the Allies. Brian Schatz and prominent Native Hawaiian leaders.
The move in Obama’s final months further cements his legacy of using unilateral executive authority to protect far more land and water as national monuments than any other president.
The White House said the expansion is a response to a proposal from Democratic Sen.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also announced that the departments will soon sign an agreement with Hawaii’s Department of Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs providing for a greater management role as a trustee in the monument.
Along with Obama’s latest conservation decision, the White House announced the president will travel to Hawaii next week, where on Wednesday he will address leaders from the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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