Since Statehood in 1959, the Hawai‘i State Government has assumed most of the functions once performed by the konohiki. Place-based management refers to designating appropriate uses for a
particular geographic area to reduce user conflicts and protect the area from some or all preventable harm.
Place-based management of ocean areas can take many forms. Marine Managed Areas (MMA) are one form of place-based management. There are also other forms of this type of resource management. This will take different forms on each island, and even in each community.
There are seven types of MMAs. These are the responsibility of DLNR, alone or in partnership.
1) Marine Life Conservation Districts 2) Fishery Management Areas
3) Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas 4) Wildlife Sanctuaries/Research Refuges 5) Natural Area Reserves
6) Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (co-managed with NOAA) 7) Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (co-managed with NOAA, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS), and OHA)
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MLCD in Hawai‘i O‘ahu
Hanauma Bay Pupukea Waikīkī Hawai‘i Island Kealakekua Bay Lapakahi Old Kona Airport Waialea Bay Waiopae Tidepools A map of Marine Managed Areas is shown below as Figure 4-3.
Figure 4-3: Marine Managed Areas in the State of Hawai‘i
Source: DLNR-DAR, Map by K.M., NOAA Fisheries
Marine Life Conservation Districts
Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCD) are designed to conserve and replenish marine resources, with limited fishing and other
consumptive uses. This gives a protected area for fish and other aquatic life to grow and reproduce. There are 11 MLCD throughout the state as listed in the text box at right. The first MLCD designated in the state was Hanauma Bay in east O‘ahu.
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Fishery Management Areas
There are 21 Fishery Management Areas (FMAs) on the islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i and an additional nine FMAs in west Hawai‘i. Each FMA has different permitted and prohibited activities with different “takes” and different fishing methodologies.
In June 2013, the BLNR approved Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) for the West Hawai‘i Regional Fisheries Management Area (WHRFMA). Ten years of community discussions and several public hearings resulted in the implementation of these new rules. The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DLNR-DAR) has posted the latest HAR on their website, which includes a spearfishing ban and a 40 species “white list.”
Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas
Bottomfish Restricted Fishing Areas are defined by latitude and longitudes in twelve places throughout the state. There are seven fish covered, otherwise referred to as the “Deep 7,” and these include onaga, ehu, kalekale, ‘ōpakapaka, ukikiki, hapuʻupuʻu, and lehi. There are regulations for fishing, gear
restrictions, commercial fisher reporting, minimum size, and non-commercial bag limits. The commercial fisheries for the Deep 7 open and close with a Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) established Annual Catch Limit, based on a fishing year from September to August of the following year. This management regime is a coordinated state and federal effort, where the state conducts the commercial trip reporting and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducts the non-commercial trip reporting.
Wildlife Sanctuaries/Research Refuges
The Coconut Island Hawai‘i Marine Laboratory Refuge in Kāne‘ohe Bay and the Paiko Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary in east Honolulu are both off the island of O‘ahu. UH uses the Hawai‘i Marine Laboratory Refuge for scientific studies, and it is illegal for anyone else to take any aquatic life from within the boundaries of the refuge. The Paiko Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary does not allow taking of any aquatic life.
Natural Area Reserves for Oceans
The Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve is managed by the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC), which was placed within DLNR for administrative purposes. This includes the island of Kaho‘olawe and the marine waters two miles from its shore. The KIRC is responsible for the restoration of Kaho‘olawe, which was transferred to the State of Hawai‘i by the U.S. Navy after its use as a bombing range. There are no residents on Kaho‘olawe, and anyone visiting the island must be cleared by the KIRC.
The ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve (NAR) on the south shore of Maui is managed by DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife Natural Area Reserve System and was the first reserve in the State Natural Area Reserve System. This NAR is part of Makai Watch, which is a Community-Based Resource Management project. The Hawai‘i Wildlife Foundation partnered with DLNR through the Makai Watch program to restore and sustain this resource. It includes a marine protected area, which is home to a rich coral reef ecosystem and many protected species. Portions of the ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu NAR are closed until July 31, 2014, and access to the northern and most visited portions is allowed only during the daytime.
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (National Marine Sanctuary) is jointly managed in a cooperative partnership between NOAA and DLNR. The National Marine Sanctuary surrounds the waters around the island of Lāna‘i, parts of Moloka‘i, and Maui as one contiguous area. Non-contiguous areas include waters off the north shore of Kaua‘i, the southeast and
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north shores of O‘ahu, and the west shore of Hawai‘i Island. A map showing these areas is shown in Figure 4-4. Through education, research, and resource protection, the National Marine Sanctuary strives to protect humpback whales, as shown in Figure 4-5, and their habitat.
Figure 4-4: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Map
Source: NOAA Figure 4-5: Humpback Whales in Hawai‘i
Source: NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument & World Heritage Site
On June 15, 2006, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 8031 under the authority of the U.S. Antiquities Act (16 U.S.C. 431-433). In 2007, the Monument was re-named with its Hawaiian name Papahānaumokuākea, and the following year it was designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area by the Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization. In 2010, Papahānaumokuākea was inscribed as a mixed
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Interior, through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), has sole responsibility for the areas of the Monument that overlay the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the Battle of Midway National Memorial, and the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, in consultation with the
Secretary of Commerce. Nothing in the Proclamation diminishes or enlarges the jurisdiction of the State of Hawai‘i. The State of Hawai‘i has primary responsibility for managing the State waters of the
Monument. The State of Hawai'i through DLNR has primary responsibility for the Kure Atoll portion of the Hawai‘i State Seabird Sanctuary. The State of Hawai‘i holds the State submerged and ceded lands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in trust. DLNR will collaborate with OHA in the perpetuation of Hawaiian cultural resources in the Monument, including the customary and traditional rights and practices of Native Hawaiians exercised for subsistence, cultural, and religious purposes under the Constitution of the State of Hawai‘i, Article XII, Section 7.
The 2006 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA 2006) establishing the PMNM was signed by three agency Co-Trustees agreeing to share responsibility for managing PMNM resources. These three agencies are the State of Hawai‘i, USFWS, and NOAA. Their senior representatives provide policy guidance to agency staff assigned to carry out Monument management activities. They also review and amend their joint MOA at least annually. The MOA 2006 establishes the Senior Executive Board (SEB) to provide policy guidance to their respective agency staff assigned to carry out Monument management activities.
SEB members are senior level designees appointed by the Co-Trustees. The DLNR Chairperson represents the State of Hawai‘i on the SEB.
The Monument Management Board (MMB) was established by MOA 2006 to coordinate management of the Monument at the field level. The seven members of the MMB are representatives from:
• Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), DLNR
• Division of Forestry & Wildlife (DOFAW), DLNR
• National Wildlife Refuge System – Honolulu, USFWS
• Pacific Islands Fish & Wildlife Office – Honolulu, USFWS
• National Marine Sanctuary Program (ONMS) – Honolulu, NOAA
• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) – Honolulu, NOAA
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), State of Hawai‘i
Major MMB responsibilities include management planning; regular review of implementation;
adjustments to management framework; shared enforcement; coordinated research and monitoring;
information management; identification and protocols for sensitive, significant sites; manage public use;
facilitate multi-sector partnerships; collaborative educational projects; resource sharing; monitoring Monument activities; coordinated response to threats; joint permitting; and US Coast Guard coordination.
The Monument agencies together produced a Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Management Plan (2008). This plan covers a 15 year horizon while meeting the planning requirements for USFWS, NOAA & State of Hawai‘i. The plan identifies six priority needs, which are addressed with 22 Action Plans for this geographic region.
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There are several established conservation areas that are included within the PMNM, and each of these areas has a different agency managing it as shown in Table 4-1 below.
Table 4-1: PMNM Established Conservation Areas
State of Hawai‘i NOAA USFWS
Kure State Wildlife Sanctuary NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem
Reserve Hawaiian Islands National
Wildlife Refuge
NWHI State Marine Refuge Midway Atoll National
Wildlife Refuge/ Battle of Midway National Memorial
Numerous archaeological artifacts can be found on the islands of Nihoa and Mokumanamana, both of which are on the National and State Historical Register for Historic Places. Figure 4-6 at right is a photo from the Monument website, showing upright rock formations on the island of Mokumanamana, also known as Necker Island.
A map of PMNM is shown in Figure 4-7. The map shows the Marine National Monument Boundary as well as State of Hawai‘i Waters, Special Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, and Special Management Areas.
Source: NOAA Figure 4-7: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Figure 4-6: Mokumanamana within Papahānaumokuākea