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Bush to Protect Sea Near Hawaii: NATIONAL MONUMENT WILL COVER 135,000 SQUARE MILES OF OCEAN

Posted on: Thursday, 15 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Jun. 15--President Bush will establish the largest protected ocean area in the world today, creating a national monument over a vast, biologically rich chain of coral reefs and islands from north of Hawaii to Midway Atoll.

In the monument -- an aquatic Eden of tropical fish, sea turtles, monk seals and more than 7,000 other marine species -- commercial fishing will be phased out over the next five years, administration officials said, speaking anonymously so as not to upstage the announcement.

The area, known now as Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, is more than 1,200 miles long -- longer than the coast of California -- and encompasses roughly 135,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, an area larger than all of America's national parks combined.

Marine biologists and environmental groups, many of whom have clashed bitterly with Bush over his support for new oil drilling and myriad other areas where they say he has weakened environmental protections, praised the decision Wednesday.

"The president is creating the world's largest marine protected area. It's as important as the establishment of Yellowstone," said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense, an environmental group based in New York City.

"This is the best thing the Bush administration has done over the last six years for the oceans and for the environment," added Ellen Athas, director of ecosystems protection for the Ocean Conservancy and a former Clinton administration official.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration already had been holding public hearings to consider a national marine sanctuary in the area, a largely uninhabited chain of tiny islands and coral outcroppings in United States territorial waters.

Bush's interest in the area was heightened after seeing a documentary TV show produced by KQED Channel 9, the San Francisco public television affiliate.

On April 5 at the White House, Bush and his wife, Laura, watched "Voyage to Kure," the first episode of "Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures," a series produced by KQED and Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, based in Santa Barbara.

Cousteau is the son of famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau and was at the White House that day. Kure is an island in the northern Hawaiian chain. The episode, since shown nationally on PBS, features dazzling underwater photography of coral reefs and wildlife in the area.

"He watched it intently. Before it, he said he was interested in the topic," said John Boland, KQED's executive vice president and chief content officer, who was at the White House screening.

"Afterwards, he said to me, 'That was really a great program, and I learned a lot.' We weren't intending to create an advocacy program, but I guess it just raised awareness. It just shows you what an incredible treasure this area is."

The area already had some protection. In December 2000, President Clinton named it a marine reserve, banning lobster fishing and coral gathering. That order, however, could have been rescinded at any time, and some environmentalists were worried Bush would overturn or weaken it. Instead, it was strengthened.

Wednesday, some said the decision was relatively easy, considering that there aren't major industries pushing to use the area for oil drilling or other commerce. Also, skeptics noted that Bush has established only one other national monument by executive order -- a small area in New York City -- whereas Clinton established more than 20, including vast landscapes across the West where he banned oil drilling.

"This appears to be a solidly and well-reasoned environmental decision," said Carl Pope, national executive director of the Sierra Club, in San Francisco. "I hope it is the first of many. Because it is the first."

At more than 84 million acres, the new national monument, which does not require congressional approval, will be larger than Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Although the protections are supported by Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, and many Democrats, some critics remain. In particular, there are eight families that have federal permits to fish in the area. Native Hawaiians have fished there for hundreds of years. That will end now, although non-profit groups may buy back their boats to soften the impact.

"Native Hawaiians are going to have mixed feelings. A lot of them see it sort of like big brother in Washington taking away native Hawaiian people's rights," said Jarad Makaiau, habitat coordinator for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council in Hawaii.

Those fishing crews, based on Kauai, the big island, Maui and Oahu, have boats less than 60 feet long, and fish with hooks and lines for snapper species including onaga, opakapaka and uku, he said.

Marine scientists said the decision will give them a benchmark for decades to come -- a huge area that is not being fished that can be compared to areas where fishing is allowed. They added that it should add credibility to efforts to establish smaller "marine protected areas" in California waters.

"I hope this will show that marine reserves don't have to be a partisan issue. When people go to the beach or eat seafood we don't have a Republican side or Democratic side," said Steve Palumbi, a Stanford University professor of marine biology. "We all want the ocean to be there in the future and be healthy for our kids."

Contact Paul Rogers at progers@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5045.

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Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: San Jose Mercury News

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