Governor Lingle Signs Rules Establishing Marine Refuge in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
News Release : September 29, 2005
acropora
French Frigate Shoals
HONOLULU - Governor Linda Lingle and Peter Young, Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair, today signed regulations that establish all State waters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) as a marine refuge.
"These rules set in motion the most significant marine conservation initiative in the history of Hawai`i by creating the State's largest marine refuge," said Governor Lingle.
The refuge puts all State waters from Nihoa, the tiny island beyond Ni`ihau and Kaua`i, to Kure Atoll, the northernmost land mass in the Hawaiian chain, into a limited access, no extraction marine refuge.
The rules set aside 100 percent of State waters from extractive uses, including commercial and recreational fishing, and require an entry permit for all other activities.
Continuance of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices will be allowed in the refuge, to perpetuate the living culture of these Islands.
...Governor Lingle also announced that the State is proactively pursuing the designation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a World Heritage Site. Less than 150 sites on the planet have been granted this internationally significant designation by the United Nations.
Download, Chapter 13-60.5, Hawaii Admin Rules (pdf, 20KB)
Guidelines For Submitting Permit Applications For Access
Hawai'i Administrative Rules, Chapter 60.5, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine Refuge, provides rules for the establishment and management of the Marine Refuge in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The authority to establish this Marine Refuge is Title 13, Department of Land and Natural Resource, Subtitle 4, Fisheries, Part II Marine Fisheries Management Areas and Chapter 188.53 Hawaii Revised Statutes. The Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources requires a permit for entry into State waters surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. A permit is also required for any activity which has the possibility of negatively impacting marine resources (either through extraction or disturbance) of the area.
from
Entry permit
guidelines and applications.
(DLNR, Division of Aquatic Resources)