Boundaries of fisheries management areas (FMA) for the State of Hawaii. The mission of the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) is to manage, conserve and restore the state's unique aquatic resources and ecosystems for present and future generations. Major program areas include projects to manage or enhance fisheries for long-term sustainability of the resources, protect and restore the aquatic environment, protect native and resident aquatic species and their habitat, and provide facilities and opportunities for recreational fishing. The areas outlined in this layer have fishing regulations. For details and further information, please see: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/fishing-regulations/

Wildlife Refuge Boundary - Guam

Boundary of the Paiko Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary. Located in the Kuliouou section of Honolulu, Oahu this sanctuary was established in 1981 by the State of Hawaii to protect the endangered Hawaiian Stilt as well as other migratory water birds. It is herein prohibited to remove, disturb, injure, kill, or possess any form of plant or wildlife (no fishing) or to introduce any form of plant or wildlife.

Boundary of the marine portion of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve. The statewide Natural Area Reserves System (NARS) was established to preserve areas that support communities of the natural flora and fauna of Hawaii and is administered by Hawaii's Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). Located off the southwest coast of Maui, Ahihi-Kinau was the first designated reserve in 1973. Unlike other NARs, it includes a marine component. The surrounding coral reef systems shelter a complex assemblage of organisms, most of them endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago. For further information, please see: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/nars/maui/ahihi-kinau/

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is an international, non-profit conservation organization that works to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people around the world. In Hawaii, TNC has worked with partners and members for 30 years to protect more than one million acres of critical natural lands. The TNC Hawaii Marine Program was launched in 2001 to restore and protect the near-shore coral reefs and marine resources surrounding Hawaii. With the help of local communities and conservation partners, TNC monitors the health and abundance of Hawaii's marine resources to identify major threats and develop strategies for protection. This map shows general areas in Hawaii where TNC has focused its marine monitoring efforts. For more information, please see: http://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/hawaii/

Boundaries of fish replenishment areas (FRA) along the leeward (west) coast of Big Island in Hawaii. In order to replenish populations of heavily collected aquatic species, a network of FRAs comprising 35% of the coastline were established by the State of Hawaii in 1999 through the West Hawaii Regional Fisheries Management Area (FMA), administered by Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR). Though fishing is permitted (with some restrictions on lay net fishing), aquarium collecting is prohibited in these areas. For further information, please see: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/regulated-areas/west-hawaii-regional-fishery-management-area/

The State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) is the primary agency responsible for coordinating Hawaii's reef management efforts in the main Hawaiian Islands. The DAR marine monitoring program employs numerous methodologies developed by DAR scientists in collaboration with NOAA, USGS and the University of Hawaii (UH). Specific methods are used at study sites depending on the resource management concerns that DAR is looking to address, and include surveys of abundance of resource and herbivorous fish, smaller cryptic fish and recruits, urchins and larger mobile invertebrates, benthic habitat cover, coral health, and biological diversity. This layer includes the locations of DAR monitoring sites along the west coast of Hawaii Island (Big Island). For further information, please see: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/coralreefs/monitoring/

National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa Boundary

Boundary of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM), located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). Created in 2006, Papahanaumokuakea is the largest conservation area in the U.S. and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. It is home to extensive coral reefs harboring over 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which are found only in Hawaii. Many of the islands and shallow water environments are important habitats for rare species such as the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Significant cultural Native Hawaiian sites can also be found on the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana (Necker Island). Co-managed with the State of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of the Interior, the monument preserves one of the most untouched areas of coral reef in the world. This layer shows the PMNM boundary after its expansion in 2016. On August 26, 2016, President Obama signed a proclamation expanding the monument from 139,797 square miles (362,073 square kilometers) to 582,578 square miles (1,508,870 square kilometers). This extended the monument boundary westward of -163 degrees longitude out to Hawaii's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at 200 nautical miles offshore. The present layer shows the monument boundary as it existed *after* this expansion. To view the previous, smaller boundary, access the data layer for "hi_noaa_nwhi_papahanaumokuakea_2006" instead. NOTE: This layer is provided as polygon features. For polyline features, please see the layer named "hi_noaa_nwhi_papahanaumokuakea_line" instead. Both polygon and polyline formats are provided for this dataset because the monument boundary spans the antimeridian (+/-180 degrees longitude) making it difficult to display in many GIS software applications without showing a division at the antimeridian.

Protected Areas - Marshall Islands