Joy to the Fishes in the Deep Blue Sea

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most critically endangered marine mammals in the United States.

Photo Courtesy Jim Watt

Today, President George W. Bush, invoking the 1906 National Antiquities Act, designated “America’s Galapagos” a national monument.

This protection for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands surpasses Bush’s original plan to use the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to shelter the area. A designation under that act would have been open to challenges from lawmakers and subject to possible elimination by future U.S. Presidents.

Another advantage is that the protection is immediate, ensuring preservation of the string of islands and coral reefs. The recent effort to shield this ecological treasure has taken more than five years – while still in office, former President Clinton had declared the area an “ecosystem reserve.”

Sharks and other large fish are common on most reefs throughout the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, one of the few marine ecosystems remaining on the planet still dominated by apex predators.

Photos Courtesy Jim Watt