Biden admin designates marine sanctuary off Hawaii

By Daniel Cusick | 01/16/2025 04:29 PM EST

The sanctuary within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument will be the largest within the National Marine Sanctuary System.

Fish swim above a patch reef 80 feet deep at French Frigate Shoals within the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary, which was designated by NOAA this week.

Fish swim above a patch reef 80 feet deep at French Frigate Shoals within the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary, which was designated by NOAA this week. NOAA

NOAA has designated portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a 582,570-square-mile area in the Pacific Ocean, as a marine sanctuary.

The designation, announced Wednesday, will create the largest unit in the National Marine Sanctuary System and one of the largest conservation areas in the world, according to the agency.

It encompasses the marine areas surrounding northwestern Hawaiian islands and atolls seaward to 200 nautical miles, including all state waters and waters of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. It also includes Midway Atoll, Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuges and the state-owned Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Refuge.

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NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said the designation “will bring a stronger framework for marine conservation and protection to the waters of Papahānaumokuākea.”

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