Nihoa.

Recently made into a National Monument, Papahanaumaukea, the Northwestern Hawaiian Island waters have now have been made into the largest marine protected area in the world. Newly outfitted with a vessel monitoring system (VMS) as required under the Monument regulations, in both April and July of 2007,  the Searcher took U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel to conduct work in the Monument. 

Stops were made at Nihoa, where a tricky landing always makes getting researchers ashore a challenge. USFWS personnel and all of their necessary gear and equipment were left ashore for a few days to investigate the status of certain flora and fauna. The Searcher continued on Laysan Island, where we assisted with personnel changes and a restocking of the station.

To learn more about the Monument and what it means in terms of conservation, click here for a Citizens Guide.

Resupplying the camp via 5 gal. buckets                                                                                      Chick at Laysan 

photo: K Karas

Laysan Lake. Photo: K Karas