[Coral-List] Designation of a new marine sanctuary to to protect the Pacific Remote Islands (PRI)

[Robert Richmond]

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has begun the scoping process to advance a designation of a new National Marine Sanctuary to protect the Pacific Remote Islands <https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/pacific-remote-islands/> to the full limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. 
The PRI Coalition proposed a Sanctuary nomination that included acknowledging the ecological, cultural heritage, scientific, and historical significance of the Pacific Remote islands through a co-management structure that would include Indigenous Pacific Islanders as part of the decision-making process. 

This Sanctuary would honor the service, sacrifice, and significance of the Hui Panalāʻau and conserve about 777,000 square miles of highly protected waters, increasing protections against harmful human activities such as deep-sea mining and industrial fishing for generations to come.

Please join leading marine scientists and cultural practitioners in support of establishing a new National Marine Sanctuary for the Pacific Remote Islands by signing the letter here <https://forms.gle/2WfSzt2gvjdsndyC6> by June 2nd, 2023.

Marine scientists and cultural practitioners of all career levels and all backgrounds are welcome to sign below (e.g. undergraduate degree, Master’s degree, and PhDs). 

All Pacific voices (U.S. Pacific Islands and other Pacific Island countries) are also encouraged to sign the Pacific Region Support Letter here: https://bit.ly/3nvubE9 <https://bit.ly/3nvubE9> 

To learn more, visit www.protectpri.com/sanctuary <http://www.protectpri.com/sanctuary>.



Robert H. Richmond, Ph.D.
Research Professor and Director
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Kewalo Marine Laboratory
41 Ahui Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 USA
Phone: 808-539-7330
Fax: 808-599-4817
e-mail: richmond at hawaii.edu