LIHUE — Major changes, including a new name and management approach, could be on the horizon for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, according to an internal draft management plan obtained by The Garden Island. If the proposal
LIHUE — Major changes, including a new name and management approach, could be on the horizon for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, according to an internal draft management plan obtained by The Garden Island.
If the proposal were to move forward as is, humpback whales — the sole focus of the sanctuary since its designation by Congress in 1992 — would be just another species in a much broader conservation effort.
“The need for a new management approach for the sanctuary has been recognized for some time,” states the document, stamped November 2013.
In addition to moving from single-species to a “more holistic ecosystem-based” management, the document outlines the sanctuary’s intent to rename itself, possibly as Na Kai Ewalu (The Eight Seas) National Marine Sanctuary — a reference to the channels between the inhabited Hawaiian islands.
“It illustrates the interconnectedness between the ocean and the people of Hawaii and their communities,” states the 154-page document. “Together these three words are referenced over 150 times in Hawaiian language newspapers.”
Sanctuary co-manager Elia Herman said Thursday that the document is a “draft-draft,” still being reviewed and edited. Her hope is to have the draft plan available for public review and input in late spring or early summer.
In a May update, the sanctuary said its target for going public with the draft plan was fall 2013, with the final target for completion in 2014. Due to the complexity of the potential changes, however, Herman said the sanctuary had to postpone.
“To do the job right, it takes, unfortunately, a very long time,” she said.
The santuary covers 1,370 square miles of federal and state waters in the Hawaiian archipelago. Co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of Hawaii, its purposes include protecting humpback whales and their habitat, as well as educating and interpreting for the public the relationships of humpbacks to the Hawaiian Islands marine environment.
Another purpose is to “provide for the identification of marine resources and ecosystems of national significance for possible inclusion in the sanctuary.”
Herman said moving to an ecosystem-based management would give the sanctuary “a lot more flexibility to ensure that we meet the greatest needs.”
Over the last several decades, whale populations in the North Pacific have increased drastically. In 1966, following heavy commercial exploitation, humpback abundance was estimated at fewer than 1,400 whales, according to NOAA.
Currently, NOAA estimates there are about 20,000.
In 2008, the International Union for Conseration of Nature’s Red List of Endangered Species amended the humpback’s classification from “vulnerable” to “least concern.” The North Pacific humpback population is also currently under review for delisting.
The draft plan — when released — will be the result of a public review process conducted from 2010 though 2013 by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Based on public input during that process, the sanctuary says it is committed to moving forward with a management approach that is “more comprehensive and inclusive of all aspects of the marine ecosystem.”
“A new ecosystem-based management approach will emphasize that all aspects of the ecosystem are important components to a healthy marine environment, and thus, provide opportunities for broader research, resource protection, and education,” it states.
Some, including the Department of the Navy, have questioned the legality of the sanctuary’s proposal to expand its scope to protect and conserve other living marine resources.
In February of last year, responding to a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement and management plan, S.A. Weikert, commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command at Pearl Harbor, wrote to Herman.
In his letter, Weikert expressed his “great concern” that the sanctuary was considering a boundary expansion, as well as adding resources to be protected beyond those in the original designation.
“We do not believe that the sanctuary is proceeding in concert with the law in characterizing this significant modification as a management plan update,” he wrote.
“The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary was initially designated by statute and thus any change in designation would require additional legislation.”
The Garden Island asked the offices of U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa whether a sanctuary could legally make the transition without an act of Congress.
Responding by email, Gabbard’s Press Secretary Heather Fluit said the change should be fine without congressional authorization, unless it’s prohibited by a specific act of congress.
“My understanding is that it’s mostly a state-level issue (and) a community-driven process,” she wrote.
Richard Rapoza, a spokesman for Hanabusa, said there is not a simple answer.
“There’s a difference of opinion,” he said. “Our office has looked at the legislation and we think congressional action is not required.”
Herman pointed out that one of the sanctuary’s original purposes was, and still is, to consider adding additional resources.
The heart of the draft is a series of 17 action plans that identify and organize a wide variety of management tools sanctuary staff will employ to address current priority resource management issues, it states.
While the draft will eventually include annual cost estimates for implementing each action plan over the next five years, no figures are listed in the internal document.
“We’re still calculating what those costs would be,” Herman said.
Among the action plans in the current document are proposals to establish three Special Sanctuary Areas in the waters around Niihau island and off of Pilaa on Kauai, as well as Maalaea on Maui.
The sanctuary says the three locations were selected because they each “represent a unique environment within the sanctuary.”
“Niihau island remains relatively undisturbed by outsiders and provides a unique example of a sentinel site for research within the sanctuary,” the document reads. “The coral reef in front of Pilaa has been exposed to runoff that has severely degraded the ecosystem. The sanctuary plans to explore how traditional management, coupled with western science, can work to alleviate stress on the reef.”
At the encouragement of the Niihau community, the sanctuary says it assessed the needs, values and desires for protection and plans to incorporate waters around Niihau and nearby Lehua into the sanctuary.
“The robust and intact coastal and marine ecosystems surrounding Niihau and Lehua receive little impact from human activity,” reads the document.
The document also outlines possible new vision and mission statements.
“The sanctuary, as a place, represents a healthy and diverse ocean environment, with thriving communities of responsible ocean stewards striving to maintain a balance of appropriate uses and ensure the perpetuation of the natural and cultural systems that define Hawaii,” reads the vision.
• Chris D’Angelo, environmental reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or cdangelo@thegardenisland.com.
