How does the establishment of the Monument affect the sanctuary designation process?
The National Marine Sanctuaries Amendments Act (NMSAA) and the Executive Orders establishing the Reserve directed the Secretary of Commerce to take action to initiate the designation of the Reserve as a National Marine Sanctuary, in order to ensure the comprehensive, strong, and lasting protection of the resources of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The Secretary of Commerce did initiate designation of the Reserve as a national marine sanctuary. The Monument provides the level of protection envisioned by the draft sanctuary proposal; therefore NOAA is not pursuing sanctuary designation for the area but is instead focusing on management of the Monument in the spirit of cooperative conservation with their co-trustees. As a result, a draft Management Plan will be released addressing the management requirements of the Monument. A draft Plan will be issued to the public in several releases over the course of 2006/2007.
