Post by LSDeep on Jun 15, 2006 10:40:45 GMT -5
(CBS 5) WASHINGTON President Bush is expected to announce Thursday the establishment of the world's largest marine protected area.
The submerged islands west of Hawaii contain an expanse of untouched coral reefs larger than Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and are home to more than 7,000 species.
"The amount of biomass, the amount of living material along the rocks is higher in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and a lot of the animals are larger," said Larry Basch of the U.S. National Park Service.
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary would cover 130,000 square miles roughly from Kauai to Midway Atoll -- scene of the most important naval battle of World War II.
Apart from Midway, the other islands and reefs in the chain are still in near-natural condition, harboring many species that have never been described.
"We really have no clue what's here," said Dwayne Monton of the National Park Service. "Prior to the NOWRAMP trip, the last invertebrate trip was in 1923, which was the Tangier expedition."
A sanctuary designation, like the one at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, is the equivalent of National Park status.
"Much like our system of protected areas on land," said Rachel Saunders of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, "we have a system of protected areas in the ocean."
Hawaiian sanctuary supporters want full protection of the area with a complete ban on fishing. Sanctuary status alone does not guarantee a fishing ban, since each sanctuary has its own custom-tailored management plan. The Monterey sanctuary allows both sport and commercial fishing.
"Fish are an important part of the ecosystem and fisheries are an important cultural and economic activity," said Saunders, "and so we're interested in sustaining those sorts of activities."
Sanctuary officials say details of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands designation are still being worked out, and the final version won't be released until the president makes his announcement.
But some environmentalists are already offering their praise.
"It's the best thing President Bush has ever done for the environment," said the head of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute.
cbs5.com/pets/local_story_165211125.html
not many actions i aprove of by him, but i think this one i could aprove
The submerged islands west of Hawaii contain an expanse of untouched coral reefs larger than Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and are home to more than 7,000 species.
"The amount of biomass, the amount of living material along the rocks is higher in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and a lot of the animals are larger," said Larry Basch of the U.S. National Park Service.
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary would cover 130,000 square miles roughly from Kauai to Midway Atoll -- scene of the most important naval battle of World War II.
Apart from Midway, the other islands and reefs in the chain are still in near-natural condition, harboring many species that have never been described.
"We really have no clue what's here," said Dwayne Monton of the National Park Service. "Prior to the NOWRAMP trip, the last invertebrate trip was in 1923, which was the Tangier expedition."
A sanctuary designation, like the one at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, is the equivalent of National Park status.
"Much like our system of protected areas on land," said Rachel Saunders of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, "we have a system of protected areas in the ocean."
Hawaiian sanctuary supporters want full protection of the area with a complete ban on fishing. Sanctuary status alone does not guarantee a fishing ban, since each sanctuary has its own custom-tailored management plan. The Monterey sanctuary allows both sport and commercial fishing.
"Fish are an important part of the ecosystem and fisheries are an important cultural and economic activity," said Saunders, "and so we're interested in sustaining those sorts of activities."
Sanctuary officials say details of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands designation are still being worked out, and the final version won't be released until the president makes his announcement.
But some environmentalists are already offering their praise.
"It's the best thing President Bush has ever done for the environment," said the head of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute.
cbs5.com/pets/local_story_165211125.html
not many actions i aprove of by him, but i think this one i could aprove