Chapter n — Species of Special Concern 



humpback whales that use the waters around the 

 island. 



The waters surrounding Kahoolawe also are used 

 by a variety of other marine mammals. The island 

 also is historically significant because of its use for 

 cultural and religious practices by native Hawaiians 

 and other Pacific islanders and as a seasonal camp for 

 fishing activities. It has been protected from develop- 

 ment and tourism by access restrictions imposed by 

 the U.S. Navy, which, over the past 40 years has 

 used the island for practice bombing. The waters 

 around the island are reported to contain significant 

 amounts of unexploded ordnance from past military 

 use. 



In response to the Congressional directive, the 

 Sanctuary and Reserves Division examined marine 

 resources within three nautical miles of Kahoolawe 

 and consulted with Federal and State agencies, includ- 

 ing the Commission, and the public during 1991. By 

 letter of 16 October 1991, the Hawaii Governor's 

 Office of State Planning informed the Sanctuaries and 

 Reserves Division that the State favored, among other 

 things, "reconsideration of a single-species humpback 

 whale sanctuary, the boundaries of which would 

 extend around all appropriate islands at a distance 

 which is scientifically justifiable, provided that such a 

 sanctuary is designated within three years," after 

 which the term of the present Governor expires. 



In December 1991, the Sanctuaries and Reserves 

 Division released the results of its study. The study 

 report concluded that, although there is evidence of 

 biological as well as cultural and historical resources 

 adjacent to Kahoolawe Island that merit further 

 investigation, information does not conclusively 

 support a finding of special national significance that 

 warrants national marine sanctuary status. The 

 Division also concluded that there are, however, 

 additional marine areas within the Hawaiian archipela- 

 go that merit further consideration as possible compo- 

 nents of a multiple-site, multiple-resource national 

 marine sanctuary. The report noted that fiirther 

 investigation will be required to determine whether a 

 finding of special national significance can be made 

 regarding these resources, and that the Division will 

 continue these investigations in 1992. With regard to 

 the State's position, the report noted that a national 



marine sanctuary in Hawaiian waters would include 

 the humpback whale as a component of a comprehen- 

 sive sanctuary resource protection and management 

 program design to complement other agency efforts. 



As noted above, the Commission contracted for a 

 study in 1990 to compile and evaluate information on 

 the status of humpback whales in Hawaii and the steps 

 being taken and needed to identify and avoid or 

 mitigate threats to the whales and their habitats in 

 Hawaiian waters. Among other things, the contractor 

 noted that several research groups conduct similar 

 humpback whale studies and that the studies could be 

 duplicative and disturb the whales. In this regard, the 

 report noted that research goals need to be clarified 

 and it recommended that aimual research coordination 

 meetings be convened by the National Marine Fisher- 

 ies Service. 



By letter of 16 September 1991, the Commission 

 transmitted the contract report to the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service and involved researchers. In its 

 letter, the Commission reiterated its earlier recom- 

 mendation that, when the humpback whale recovery 

 plan is completed, the Service immediately take steps 

 to develop area-specific implementation plans. In this 

 regard, the Hawaiian implementation plan should 

 include research and related activities noted in the 

 humpback whale recovery plan. 



In response to the Commission's recommendations, 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service, in consultation 

 with the Commission, developed and circulated terms 

 of reference for a two-day research coordination 

 workshop. On 20 December 1991, the Commission 

 wrote to the National Marine Fisheries Service 

 offering to provide partial support for such a work- 

 shop and offering its views on the workshop's objec- 

 tives. In the Commission's view, the purpose of the 

 workshop would be to facilitate communication 

 between researchers and management agencies, 

 identify critical research needs, and better coordinate 

 efforts among investigators to avoid conflicts and 

 unnecessary duplication of effort. 



The workshop is scheduled to be held in Wailuku, 

 Maui, Hawaii, on 23-24 January 1992 and will be co- 

 sponsored by the Marine Mammal Commission, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, the University of 



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