All U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands could be designated as a national marine sanctuary, a step toward fulfilling a Biden administration goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. oceans by 2030.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced on March 24 that it has "directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to initiate a process to consider" approximately 770,000 square miles for sanctuary designation. The area was nominated by the Pacific Remote Islands Coalition, the agency reports, and includes "the existing as well as the submerged lands and waters surrounding the existing Monument to the limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone."
"A sanctuary designation would provide additional layers of protection for the region’s important marine ecosystems, maritime heritage resources, and support the cultural heritage and values of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities," the DOC states in the news release.
The DOC's announcement came after President Joe Biden's "call to action" during the White House Conservation in Action Summit and a Presidential Memorandum issued March 24, according to the news release.
"Ecosystems and cultural resources of the Pacific Remote Islands are increasingly under pressure from threats such as marine debris, invasive species, and climate change," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in the news release. "The proposed sanctuary would also recognize the importance of Indigenous knowledge, stories, and cultural connections between lands and peoples, and celebrate distinct cultures."
The Pacific Remote Islands in the central Pacific Ocean are made up of seven islands and atolls: Baker, Howland and Jarvis islands, and Johnston, Wake and Palmyra Atoll, as well as the Kingman Reef.
The "unique and fragile" is home and haven to "some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine life on the planet," the release states, from corals and fish to marine mammals and seabirds. It is also vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, according to the release.
“Fulfilling our bold conservation goals are a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and the Commerce Department,” DOC Sec. Gina Raimondo said in the release.
“Our National Marine Sanctuary System is critical to achieving these goals, as well as honoring the cultural heritage of coastal communities around the country," Raimondo said. "As President Biden noted, expanding protections for the Pacific Remote Islands would create the largest protected ocean area on the planet.”