Supporting the Designation of Papahānaumokuākea as a National Marine Sanctuary

On Dec. 13, 2024, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Management Plan for the proposed Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary were published by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries here.‍
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The Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group is supportive of the sanctuary and shares their mahalo to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for their engagement in the process for the designation.

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Designating Papahānaumokuākea as a National Marine Sanctuary strengthens monument protections.

• The sanctuary adds to — and does not diminish — the management measures and protections provided by the presidential proclamations.
• Commercial fishing is currently prohibited in monument waters. National marine sanctuary designation will not change this.
• The sanctuary provides numerous benefits, including increased protection and conservation of resources, and improved coordination of conservation and management.

Background for the proposed sanctuary (source ONMS):
NOAA proposed a sanctuary area of approximately 582,250 square miles. The agency’s preferred boundary overlaps with the marine portions of the monument. The boundary includes the marine environment surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands from the shoreline of the islands and atolls seaward to 200 nautical miles, including all state waters and waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, Midway Atoll and Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuges, and state of Hawaiʻi Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Refuge.

The Sanctuary management plan is influenced by Mai Ka Pō Mai, which was birthed by the Native Hawaiian community and represents our vision for how we should mālama this place. Through the support of OHA and NOAA, the Cultural Working Group consulted with ʻŌiwi communities for more than a decade, which led to the creation of this historic management guidance document. This Mai Ka Pō Mai lays the foundational framework to guide the weaving of Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) knowledge systems, values, and practices into all aspects of the management of Papahānaumokuākea.

Resources:

CWG written testimony for the proposed Papahānamokuākea National Marine Sanctuary can be found here. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YApVFNYC4rOvKL_y1QiXwLVQwMuw0Aus/view?usp=sharing 

To learn more, visit the National Marine Sanctuaries website: 

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/papahanaumokuakea/ 

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