Dear President Obama:

We the undersigned marine scientists strongly support your proposal to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. As professors, researchers, graduate students, and other academics who work in the Pacific region, we hope that you will consider our perspectives carefully when determining the size of the Monument.

We believe you should expand the Monument to the full 200-nautical-mile United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in order to preserve the ecological integrity of one of the last remaining pristine ecosystems on earth.  We believe that this region of the ocean has substantial conservation value and unique natural qualities that require strong protection.

The proposed Monument expansion would:
•  protect a substantial number of endangered, threatened, or over-exploited species (e.g., sharks, sea turtles, manta rays, marine mammals, and seabirds) that move well beyond the current 50 nautical mile boundary and are therefore not sufficiently protected under the current Monument, including:
    - feeding and breeding grounds for 14 million seabirds of 19 species;
    - migratory and feeding grounds for five species of threatened and endangered sea turtles;
    - habitat for 22 marine mammal species, 7 of which are endangered, including sei and blue whales; and
    - migratory and feeding grounds for manta rays.
•  safeguard from potentially destructive fishing and mining activities nearly 250 seamounts, or undersea mountains, which are hotspots of biodiversity, and likely home to thousands of yet undiscovered species.
•  ensure ecological connectivity from the tropical rainforests and coral reefs surrounding these islands and atolls to the rich pelagic environments and seamounts that extend out to the full US EEZ.  These linkages are critical to sustaining the biodiversity and ecological function of this unique region.
•  help replenish pelagic fish stocks.  Although large predatory fishes, such as tuna, swordfish, marlin, and oceanic sharks can move great distances, recent studies have shown that many would likely remain within an expanded Monument and grow larger and produce more offspring if protected from fishing.  Dispersing offspring from these populations could therefore help replenish fishery resources outside the protected area.

We understand that fish caught within the proposed Monument expansion accounts for < 5% of the US tuna catch in the central and western Pacific.  However, we believe that the benefits of protecting these uninhabited ocean jewels far transcend the value of what can be removed for short-term commercial gain.  Owing to the intact nature of this ecosystem, full Monument protection presents an unparalleled opportunity to understand how healthy marine ecosystems function, while by comparison examining the impacts that humans are having on our environment today.  Indeed, there are countless other benefits that we cannot fully imagine, such as new medicines from the rich diversity of species inhabiting this region.

We understand the importance of preserving our natural heritage for the benefit of future generations across the Pacific, and beyond.  Expansion of the Monument provides the opportunity to double the area of ocean that is fully protected globally from 1% to 2%.  Marine scientists and conservation experts agree that to ensure the health and productivity of our oceans for future generations, at least 20% of the ocean needs to be protected in marine reserves.  The United States must do its part, while calling on other world leaders to follow your lead in protecting the ocean and its marine ecosystems.

As an academic community with a strong interest and belief in the importance of protecting one of the richest areas on earth for ocean life, we support full protection of the Pacific Remote Islands to the 200-nautical-mile US EEZ.

Sincerely,

Alan Friedlander, PhD
Director, Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Chief Scientist, Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society

Mark Hixon, PhD
Professor and Hsiao Endowed Chair in Marine Biology
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Robert H. Richmond, PhD
Research Professor and Director, Kewalo Marine Laboratory
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa


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