A recently released booklet of scientific information about the Northwest Hawaiian Islands endorses greater protection for its unique resource. Book outlines discoveries
from NW Hawaiian IslesScientists find diversity in the species
that populate the regionBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comNew data about the 1,200-mile-long uninhabited part of the Hawaiian archipelago come just as a two-year process begins that could make the area the country's 14th national marine sanctuary.
"Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands" is a 50-page, full-color summary of the discoveries make by a coalition of agencies and institutions during the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program expeditions to the islands in 2000 and 2001.
Public "scoping" meetings on every main Hawaiian Island continue this week, seeking input about what people would want a sanctuary to do and be.
"This is a very exciting time," said NOWRAMP principal investigator Jim Maragos of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Maragos said some of the "great successes" of NOWRAMP documented in the new booklet are:
>> Discovering "how pristine and diverse and wild those Northwest Hawaiian Islands are. Based on previous information, they didn't appear to be that spectacular or fantastic." >> "We saw something none of us had ever seen -- dominance of large jacks and sharks, something that had never been reported elsewhere in coral reefs." Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Coordinator Robert Smith said last week at a scoping meeting in Kaneohe that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both of which have refuges in the Northwestern Islands, will not lose any authority if they choose to become part of a sanctuary.
The group most cautious about what a sanctuary could mean are fishermen. Though only a dozen boats have fished the waters in recent years, they catch a significant proportion of the bottomfish sold in Hawaii. And some recreational fishermen wonder if strong rules in the Northwestern Islands could evolve into stricter rules in the main Hawaiian Islands where they fish, several said at a scoping meeting.
Jim Cook, owner of several longline boats and active in fisheries politics, said after one of the meetings that he wonders why the federal government would spend several million dollars to protect the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, when they appear to be doing pretty well the way they are.
Other NOWRAMP findings:
>> Stony coral colonies are abundant, diverse and often large (which means very old), with much more variety of species than in the main Hawaiian Islands. >> One-fourth of the reef animals and plant species reported are unique to Hawaii. >> Many new species of sponges, algae and coral were discovered. >> Marine debris is a problem for coral and other wildlife. >> Marine alien species, common in the Main Hawaiian Islands, appear not to be a problem in the Northwestern Isles, except at Midway Island. >> There are large pods of spinner dolphins living in several atoll lagoons. >> Toxic contaminants are of concern in nearshore waters of Kure Atoll and Midway. Institutions participating in the study include the Bishop Museum, state Department of Land and Natural Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory, National Ocean Service, Oceanic Institute, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Hawaii and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The multi-agency study, "Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands," is available on the web at www.hawaii.edu/ssri/hcri. The study in booklet form can be obtained at the Bishop Museum, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory, Northwest Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu office, or by calling Charissa Minato, with the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program, at 956-7479. For more information
Roundtable meetings to seek public input about what a National Marine Sanctuary in the Northwestern Hawaiian Island should be continue this week. All meetings are at 6 p.m.
>> Tomorrow: Japanese Cultural Center, 2454 S. Beretania St., Honolulu. >> Tuesday: The Radisson Kauai Beach Resort, 4331 Kauai Beach Drive, Lihue. >> Wednesday: University of Hawaii at Hilo, Marine Science Building, 200 West Kawili St., Hilo. >> Thursday: King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona. >> Friday: Lanai Public Library, Frazier Avenue, Lanai City. For more information, see: hawaiireef.noaa.gov