Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 12, 1 December 1999 — Protecting coral reefs [ARTICLE]
Protecting coral reefs
At its Oct. 20 meeting, The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted new regulations to protect coral reef resources, £dbatross and oeeanie sharks, announced Mike Mohna of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The eouneil manages waters from three to 200 miles off Hawai'i, Sāmoa Amelika, Guam and the Northern Maiiana Islands.
'The fishery management plan being developed by the eouneil is unique because it takes into account not only the amount of fishing pressure individual species ean withstand but also the role of those species in the ecosystem," said Joshua Nowhs of the Center for Maiine Conservation and a member of the Council's ecosystem and habitat advisory panel. "For example, a sea urchin was important to the health of coral reefs in Jamaica. When the urchin population declined, algae took over."