INTRODUCTION

Background

Aerial view of Coconut Island in Kaneohe Bay.

Aerial photo of Moku o Lo‘e (Coconut Island) by Brent Daniel, showing the location of the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology in Kāne‘ohe Bay. Click on the image to see more of the bay and the surrounding reefs.

The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology signed a memorandum of agreement with the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NOS, NOAA) on March 28, 2005, to assist the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve (NWHICRER) with scientific research required for the development of a science-based ecosystem management plan. With this overriding objective, a scope of work was developed to:

  1. Understand the population structures of bottomfish, lobsters, reef fish, endemic coral species, and adult predator species in the NWHI.
  2. Characterize the genetic diversity of corals in the NWHI and determine the background levels of coral health in the NWHI.
  3. Support mapping activities that will be used in the Sanctuary designation and management zones.
  4. Identify the pool of invasive species in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) and develop measures to prevent the spread of these to the NWHI.
  5. Support sound ecosystem-based management.

The Hawaiian Archipelago is located at 19° – 28° N to 155° – 178° E and spans approximately 1,200 miles of the Pacific Ocean. The lower eight Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) are home to a growing population of more than a million people. In the northern reaches of the Hawaiian Archipelago are a series of tiny islands, atolls, and shoals that make up the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) which are largely uninhabited. The pristine beauty and unique ecosystem of the NWHI was recognized in 2001 when Executive Order #13178 created the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the largest marine protected area in the United States.

On June 15, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a proclamation creating the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (NWHIMNM), the world’s largest marine protected area. This designation supersedes the NWHICRER and affords the NWHI the greatest possible marine environmental protections. It also increases immediacy of the need for an ecosystem-based management plan. The monument spans nearly 140,000 square miles and is home to an estimated 7,000 species including fishes, invertebrates, marine mammals, and birds. However, many biologists believe that this is a huge underestimate of the actual number of species in the region. While the full extent of its biodiversity is largely unknown, approximately one quarter of these species are likely found nowhere else on Earth.

Hawai‘i is one of the most isolated yet populated areas on Earth. This site provides a unique ecosystem to compare relatively pristine coral reefs in the northern end of the Archipelago with those that are influenced by human activities in the southern end. This "gradient" of human disturbance on coral reefs offers scientists an opportunity to examine species diversity and function under different environmental conditions, with the aim of developing best practices for the maintenance of a healthy coral reef ecosystem in the NWHI. The Sanctuary Vision, “that the vast coral reefs, ecosystems, and resources of the Northwestern Hawaiian islands (NWHI) — unique in the world — be healthy and diverse forever” is the guiding principle in the design of the research objectives proposed for the NWHIMNM-HIMB partnership.

Acknowledgments: Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) acknowledges the support of Senator Daniel K. Inouye’s Office, the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (NWHIMNM), State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and the numerous University of Hawai‘i partners involved in this project. Funding provided by NMSP MOA 2005-008/66832.

Photo of sea turtle.

A Hawaiian green sea turtle swims above a reef of table coral. Important nesting grounds for this threatened turtle species exist in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Photo by Jill Zamzow.

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