Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 9, 1 September 2000 — TRUSTEE MESSAGES Reports: Midway and the Western Regional Fishery Management Council [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRUSTEE MESSAGES Reports: Midway and the Western Regional Fishery Management Council

ĪHE WESTERN Regional Fishery Management Council (WESTPAC) extended an invitation to the chair of the Land Committee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to attend on site its 105th eouneil meeting, directed at addressing President CUnton's directive relating to coral ecosystems in the Northwestem Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and how to better protect them ffom injury and degradation. Tbe two-hour July 8 Aloha Airlines flight arrived on Midway where the Fish and Wildhfe Service was conducting an orientation so that the atoll's wildlife, eonsisting of monk seals, sea turtles and sea birds, would be respected. The following day, the Fish and Wildlife Service outhned its program for the island area as consisting of the fohowing priorities: • Attention to the endangered species of seals and turtles. • Enhancement of sea birds' habitat. • Encouragement of natural diversity. • Management of the former mihtary facihty and removal of excess stmc tures to reduce the footprint. • Wildlife preservahon and educadon, by direction of a refuge system. • Fostering of cultural enrichment. The Midway project is an experiment

with a private entity, the Phoenix Corporahon, with the goal of funding and permitting the survival of the Fish and Wildlife Service on the remote atoh. The nahonal wildlife system is supported by 30 miUion visitors yearly. Midway would require some 50 visitors a day to keep its eeotourism facihty operative. The Northwestem Hawaiian Islands Wildlife Refuge was declared in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt. It was aehvated as such in 1988 with more implementation in 1993. Fishing is done with a single barbless hook. The catch is

released, or is only taken out for eonsumption on the island; it is not exported. There is no bottom fishing on Midway, in keeping with sound conservation prachces, and there are no predatory cats, rats

or dogs. During the 105th eouneU meeting, I spoke to the eouneil and extended my appreciation for the opportunity to sit in the meeting relative to coral reef systems. I suggested cooperahve programs with an educational eomponent between OHA and the enhhes offering such services on Midway that could be of mutual benefit for nahve students wishing to eonhnue their education or select an ocean-oriented career. President CUnton's execuhve order directed the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to work together with WESTPAC and the State of

Hawai'i to develop a coral reef ecosystem plan. Commerce is the indicated lead agency and WESTPAC has made efforts to offer a plan, two years in the making, for the purpose of protectIng the reef system of the Northwestem Hawaiian Islands. The coral reef efforts are in response to the eiiheal eonelihon of the reefs, twothirds of whieh are eshmated to be dying. And projechons indicate that an alarming 70 percent of the world's reefs may be gone by 2050, due to human activity, polluhon, over-fishing and dredging. As the "rain forests of the sea," coral reefs are compared to old forest growths, such as Joshua trees and sequoias. They have an esrimated worth of $375,000,000,000 annually, a staggering value for an ecosystem covering less than 1 percent of the earth's surface. Commercial harvesting of coral reef species includes material collected for food purposes, the aquarium trade, hve fish market, constmction materials, curios, jewelry, pharmaceuhcals and traditional medicines. ♦ The increasing threats to coral reef ecosystems are substantial, and because 70 percent, or most, of the coral reefs under United States jurisdicrion are located in Hawaiian waters, it is important that input and comments be made on behalf of Hawaii and its people. ■

'The coral reef efforts are in response to the critical condition of the reefs, two-thirds of whieh are estimated to be dying.'

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