The Bush administration hasn’t exactly distinguished itself as a protector of natural resources, but last week the president did himself proud with creation of the world’s largest marine sanctuary.
President Bush signed a proclamation making the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument. The 140,000 miles of remote islands and pristine waters are home to green sea turtles, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, millions of seabirds and America’s largest coral reef system. A quarter of the 7,000 marine species there exist nowhere else.
Monument status brings the area under strict environmental controls. Ship traffic, trash dumping, and most recreational activities will be prohibited. Visitors will not be allowed to collect coral and other marine life. Sport fishing will end immediately. Commercial fishing will be phased out over five years. There will be no searching for oil.
For a century, Washington has designated land-based treasures as national parks and monuments, but we have been slow to care for our marine systems. After viewing a documentary by Jean-Michel Cousteau in April, Bush was so moved he asked his staff to begin preparing a conservation plan. The film showed seabirds choking on debris that washed up from thousands of miles away.
The decision to safeguard a natural marine treasure – one larger than any other president before him – shows how bold action can help protect delicate parts of our environment from human destruction. The islands are unpopulated and remote, but human activity has taken a toll. Besides the endangered monk seals, the lobster population has been nearly wiped out. Black-lipped pearl oysters, which yield grayish pearls, have been poached to near extinction though collecting them has been illegal in Hawaii since 1930.
“We have a responsibility, a solemn responsibility, to be good stewards of the oceans and the creatures who inhabit them,” Bush said in signing the official declaration at the White House. “We will protect a precious natural resource. We will show our respect for the cultural and historical importance of this area. And we will create an important place for research and learning about how we can be good stewards of our oceans and our environment.”
That’s a welcome determination.
