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Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

The endangered Hawaiian monk seal lives only in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Sea turtles survived the dinosaur extinction, but today, six out of the seven species are endangered or threatened.

This toadstool soft coral uses poisonous tentacles to sting its tiny prey.

The remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands archipelago, 120 nautical miles west of the main Hawaiian islands, is practically uninhabited by humans. But the archipelago’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument -- the largest nature preserve ever established in the United States -- is teeming with life.

Some 14 million seabirds nest on the islands, and in the surrounding waters lie the largest, oldest and most pristine coral reefs in the country, which support more than 7,000 marine species. Many are endangered or threatened, including the Hawaiian monk seal and the green, leatherback, and hawksbill sea turtles.

Exotic, colorful fish and invertebrates take food and shelter from 60-odd species of coral in the reefs. Deeper waters support commercially important fish like groupers and deep sea snappers. But what makes this reserve even more spectacular is the abundance of sharks and other large predatory fish.

In most large coral reef ecosystems, overfishing has taken a devastating toll on sharks and other top-of-the-food-chain aquatic life. Not so in Papahanaumokuakea.

A presidential order in 2000 designated nearly 100,000 square nautical miles in the area a marine reserve, restricting both commercial and recreational fishing. In 2006, it received full and lasting protections as a national monument.

Limiting fishing has helped this ecosystem thrive, but it's still not immune from outside threats. The area's unique current patterns sweep tons of marine debris in from outside the preserve. Seabirds eat floating plastic garbage, and old fishing lines and nets can tangle and drown seals and turtles, as well as scour coral reefs.

last revised 8/26/2009