Black-footed Albatross. Photo: Clipart.com

President Bush has directed his Administration to assess the potential for protecting several large, ecologically important ocean areas in the Central and Western Pacific. These include seven U.S. possessions and their surrounding waters in the Central Pacific, and islands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and American Samoa.

“Offering protection both on the breeding grounds and in the surrounding waters would be a boon to seabirds, including four that are highly imperiled according to the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan: the Polynesian Storm-Petrel, Audubon’s Shearwater, and Black-footed Albatross, along with 7 other species of high conservation concern.”

These remote islands are home to some of the largest and most diverse seabird colonies in the world. For example, Baker and Jarvis Islands in the central Pacific have seabird colonies numbering well over one million birds each, comprised principally of Sooty Terns, but also including Red-tailed Tropicbirds, Masked Boobies, and Christmas Shearwaters, among others. The waters around the islands provide critical foraging habitat for these seabirds.

President Bush has the opportunity to create the largest marine protected area in history before he leaves office, which would complement his establishment of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, and strengthen his conservation legacy. The President can order varying degrees of environmental protection that can affect fishing and other activities. Prohibition is the most stringent of the alternatives. American Bird Conservancy, the Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Ocean Conservancy are urging the Administration to consider strict protection out to the maximum 200 nautical miles.

The President will receive input from the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and Interior, and other stakeholders through a series of public meetings, as well in the form of written public comments, after which the President could issue his decree. You can help by writing to James Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, 722 Jackson Place, N.W., Washington D.C. 20503, or Chairman@ceq.eop.gov , and ask for full protection of these ocean treasures. Comments are due by October 26. For more information see http://ocean.ceq.gov/pacific_assessment/faq.html.