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Exhibits
Western
Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
Geographical Features
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are a chain of small islands, atolls, submerged banks, and reefs stretching for more than 1,000 miles northwest beyond the main Hawaiian Islands.
The closest
island, Nihoa, lies 130 miles northwest of Niihau. It is the largest volcanic
island in the northwestern chain, with about 170 acres of land. The island's
two peaks and steep sea cliffs are clearly visible from a distance. Nihoa's
submergent coral reef habitat totals approximately 142,000 acres.
The next island up the chain is Necker. This dry, volcanic island is shaped like a fish hook and includes about 45 acres of land. More than 380,000 acres of coral reef habitat are associated with the island of Necker.
French Frigate Shoals is an 18-mile wide, crescent-shaped atoll. The lagoon contains two exposed volcanic rocks and 12 low, sandy islets. About 67 acres of land and 230,000 acres of coral reef habitat are associated with French Frigate Shoals.
Gardner Pinnacles consists of two peaks of volcanic rock totaling 5 acres. Their frosted appearance indicates their importance as a roosting site and breeding habitat for 12 species of tropical seabirds. About 600,000 acres of coral reef habitat surround these pinnacles.
Maro Reef is a largely submerged atoll, with no more than 1 acre of emergent land but about 475,000 acres of submerged coral reef habitat.
Laysan is
the largest island in the chain, with about 1,000 acres of land. It is well
vegetated
(except its sand dunes) and contains a hypersaline lake, one of only five
natural lakes in the State of Hawaii. Laysan's coral reef habitat totals approximately
145,000 acres.
Lisianski Island is a low sand and coral island, with about 400 acres of land. It lies at the northern end of a large reef bank, spanning about 65 square miles and totaling about 310,000 acres.
Pearl and Hermes Reef is a large atoll with several small islets forming about 80 acres of land and almost 200,000 acres of coral reef habitat. The islets are periodically washed over when winter storms pass through.
Midway
Atoll measures 5 miles in diameter and includes three small islands located
at the southeastern end of the lagoon totaling 1,550 acres. The protective
reef around the lagoon is submerged in some places and four to five feet above
sea level in others. Midway's associated reefs measure about 55,000 acres.
Kure is the northernmost coral atoll in the world. The atoll is nearly circular with a 6-mile diameter enclosing about 200 acres of emergent land. The outer reef almost completely encircles the lagoon except for passages to the southwest. The only permanent land in the atoll is crescent-shaped Green Island, located near the fringing reef in the southeastern part of the lagoon. Almost 80,000 acres of coral reef habitat are found at Kure Atoll.