Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Seeks Advisory Council Applicants

NOAA’s Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve seeks advisory council applicants

NOAA’s Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve is seeking applicants for five primary and alternate seats on its advisory council. The council ensures public participation in reserve management and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent.

“Community representatives on our advisory council are an extremely important part of our team,” said Athline Clark, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries superintendent for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. “Their input is an integral part of managing this special place.”

The reserve is accepting applications for the following seats: commercial fishing (primary and alternate); Native Hawaiian (alternate); and Native Hawaiian elder (primary and alternate).

Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen as members or alternates should expect to serve a two-year term or until a different advisory body is created pursuant to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument’s management plan.

The advisory council consists of 15 primary and alternate members representing a variety of public interest groups, including conservation, education, research, and ocean-related commercial and recreational activities, as well as the Native Hawaiian community. It also includes 10 governmental seats representing: Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Department of State, Marine Mammal Commission, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Science Foundation, U.S. Coast Guard, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Applications are due May 31. To receive an application kit, or for further information, please contact Allison Ikeda, policy and program specialist via email at Allison.Ikeda@noaa.gov; by phone at 808-725-5818; or by mail at Allison Ikeda, NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/PMNM, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818. Application kits can also be downloaded at: http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/council/.

 The reserve encompasses an area of the marine waters and submerged lands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, extending approximately 1,200 nautical miles long and 100 nautical miles wide. The reserve is managed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the Executive Orders that established the reserve in 2000. The reserve is within Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.

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