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Hawaii
Congressman Proposes World's Largest Marine Refuge - ENS
05/17/05
Posted: 5/17/05; 11:26:47 AM #
Congressman Ed Case, a Hawaii Democrat, Monday introduced legislation
that would create "the largest marine protected area in our world" in the
waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The area Case wishes to
protect stretches across 1,200 miles of the Pacific Ocean from Nihoa
Island to Kure Atoll, an area larger than Australia's Great Barrier Reef,
currently the world's largest protected area. The proposed legislation is
in addition to the ongoing process to designate a slightly smaller area as
a the nation's 14th national marine sanctuary. The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has taken public comment and has been
drafting an environmental impact statement due out this summer as part of
the process. In addition, the state of Hawaii's Department of Land and
Natural Resources (DLNR) Friday proposed full protection for all state
waters within the area.
Tsunami-damaged
Coral Reefs Should be Left to Recover Naturally - Innovations Report
05/13/05
Posted: 5/17/05; 11:20:19 AM #
Coral reefs damaged in the Asian tsunami tragedy should be allowed to
recover naturally before countries launch into expensive restoration
plans, according to some of the world’s leading scientists. The
scientists, led by a researcher from the University of Newcastle upon
Tyne, and who set out their views in an advisory brief for the World Bank,
point to historical records of major coral reef devastation by cyclones
and typhoons. Although the devastation caused by the tsunami was on a much
larger scale, the scientists say there is no evidence to suggest that the
vast majority of reefs will not recover naturally this time. The group
recommend that, in most cases, simply removing the debris from the reefs
would be sufficient to allow them to repair themselves. Only in areas
where corals were more or less wiped out and no healthy reefs remained
nearby to provide a source of new coral larvae, would artificial methods
such as coral transplantation be clearly beneficial.
Extensive
Damage to Coral in Tsunami-hit Andaman - Sify News 05/09/05
Posted: 5/12/05; 2:09:14 PM #
The Indian Ocean tsunamis caused extensive damage to coral reefs of the
Andaman and Nicobar islands which are now smothered by sediment that will
take years to wash off, scientists said Monday. The archipelago, which
spans 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Indonesia to Myanmar, suffered deep
damage to coral in the hard-hit southwest areas and a major shift in the
geography of the islands, according to a survey prepared by Indian
government scientists.
Refuge
Status Sought for Northwest Islands - Honolulu Advertiser
05/06/05
Posted: 5/12/05; 2:00:25 PM #
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are surrounded by some of the most
extensive and healthy coral reefs in the world and are home to more than
7,000 species of marine plants and animals such as the endangered monk
seal and green sea turtle. The islands also are in an important fishing
ground for Hawai'i fishermen, who are concerned that a new plan to
restrict their activity could hurt their livelihood. The potential
conflict between both aspects of the archipelago are at the heart of a
plan to create a marine refuge there. Under the state plan, all fishing
would be prohibited in waters three miles around each of the islands and
atolls in the 1,200-mile-long chain. |
