{"id":230836,"date":"2016-06-27T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2016-06-26T20:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=230836"},"modified":"2016-06-27T06:00:24","modified_gmt":"2016-06-26T20:00:24","slug":"obama-urged-create-worlds-largest-marine-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/obama-urged-create-worlds-largest-marine-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama urged to create world\u2019s largest marine reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Obama\"
Obama<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HONOLULU, Hawaii<\/strong>\u2014Scientists attending the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Honolulu, Hawaii released a joint letter to President Barack Obama on June 24 emphasizing the international marine science community\u2019s unified support for expanding the Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision is scientifically supported and provides substantial hope of leaving a legacy of ocean resources and benefits for future generations,\u201d said Dr. Robert Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii and the convener of the ICRS. \u201cThe international marine conservation science community is unified in our support to expand the monument.\u201d <\/p>\n

The reserve boasts a bipartisan legacy in which six U.S. presidents have used executive action to protect the area\u2019s fragile resources and covers 140,000 square miles of ocean, coral reefs, and small islands. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) recently asked President Obama to expand the monument to include an additional 442,000 square miles, which would make it the world\u2019s largest marine protected area.<\/p>\n

The scientists\u2019 letter, with more than 1,500 signatures, coincides with the release of a new scientific report, Pu\u2019uhonua: A Place of Sanctuary, which details the significant biological and cultural evidence for the expansion of Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea. <\/p>\n

The report was authored by 12 leading scientists, including: National Geographic Explorer in Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle; Dr. Callum Roberts, a marine conservation biologist at the University of York, England; Dr. U. Rashid Sumalia, a global fisheries expert at the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre, Canada; Dr. Doug McCauley, a marine biology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Dr. Richmond. <\/p>\n

Papah\u0101naumoku\u0101kea harbors rich biodiversity and is regarded in Hawaiian culture as a place of honor, the root of native ancestral connections to the gods, and where spirits return after death. Hawaiians feel a deep spiritual connection to the area\u2019s flora and fauna, including sharks, seabirds and whales. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe expansion zone being proposed right now includes the oldest animal\u2013\u2013a black coral that is more than 4000 years old, said Dr. McCauley, describing the ecological riches that can be safeguarded by expanded monument protection. \u201cThis is an animal that was alive before even the pyramids were built. If ever there was an appropriate use of the Antiquities Act by the President of the United States it would be to protect the oldest animal on our planet.\u201d <\/p>\n

According to the science report, the proposed expansion\u2014a fivefold increase in size\u2014would protect 110 seamounts (underwater mountains) that are likely home to undiscovered species, as well as guyots (flat-topped seamounts), coral reefs, and pelagic areas, which are key migration, spawning, nurturing, and foraging areas for 22 species of whales and dolphins, 4 economically important species of tuna, dozens of species of sharks, 22 species of seabirds, and 5 species of sea turtles.<\/p>\n

The scientific report includes a section on the economics of marine protected areas and the effect on the Hawaiian longline fishery. The researchers found that there are very high economic and social benefits to expanding the monument, and very limited costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cA key obstacle in establishing new reserves is the fact that in most cases the fisheries costs of establishment are realized in the short term, while the fisheries benefits come later,\u201d said Dr. Sumalia. \u201cThe good news in this situation is that the fishery is limited by a quota, so the likely response is for fishermen to shift their effort beyond the newly closed area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHawaiian fishermen will still catch the same amount of fish,\u201d added Dr. Sumalia. \u201cThe expansion will be a win-win for fisheries and conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The additional protections would eliminate or reduce the impacts of present and future extractive activities, increase the protected area\u2019s resiliency to climate change, boost ecosystem health, and protect historically and culturally important areas for Hawaiians, the United States, and the world. (PR)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HONOLULU, Hawaii\u2014Scientists attending the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Honolulu, Hawaii released a joint…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":230839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[375,12209,12210,57],"class_list":["post-230836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-president-obama","tag-robert-richmond","tag-sylvia-earle-dr","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}