Sec. 6. Area of the Reserve. The Reserve includes the waters and submerged lands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as follows: (a) The seaward boundary of the Reserve is 50nm from the approximate center geographical positions of Nihoa Island, Necker Island, French Frigate Shoals, Gardner Pinnacles, Maro Reef, Laysan Island, Lisianski Island, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Midway Atoll, and Kure Island. Where the areas are not contiguous, parallel lines drawn tangent to and connecting those semi-circles of the 50nm areas that lie around such areas shall delimit the remainder of the Reserve. (b) The inland boundary of the Reserve around each of the areas named in subparagraph (a) of this section is the seaward boundary of Hawaii State waters and submerged lands, and the seaward boundary of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, as appropriate. (c) The Reserve boundary is generally depicted on the map attached to this order. The Secretary, after consultation with the Governor of the State of Hawaii, may make technical modifications to the boundary of the Reserve, including providing straight-line boundaries for the Reserve for clarity and ease of identification, as appropriate.
Sec. 7. Protection and Conservation Measures. The conservation measures in this section apply throughout the Reserve. (a) (1) Commercial Fishing. All currently existing commercial Federal fishing permits and current levels of fishing effort and take, as determined by the Secretary and pursuant to regulations in effect on the date of this order, shall be capped as follows: (A) No commercial fishing may occur in Reserve Preservation Areas pursuant to section 8 of this order; (B) There shall be no increase in the number of permits of any particular type of fishing (such as for bottomfishing) beyond the number of permits of that type in effect the year preceding the date of this order; (C) The annual level of aggregate take under all permits of any particular type of fishing may not exceed the aggregate level of take under all permits of that type of fishing in the years preceding the date of this order, as determined by the Secretary, provided that the Secretary shall equitably divide the aggregate level into individual levels per permit, and further provided that the Secretary may make a one-time reasonable increase to the total aggregate to allow for the use of two Native Hawaiian bottomfishing permits; (D) There shall be no permits issued for any particular type of fishing for which there were no permits issued in the year preceding the date of this order; and (E) The type of fishing gear used by any permit holder may not be changed except with the permission of the Secretary, as provided under paragraph 3 of this section. (2) Recreational Fishing. All currently existing (preceding the date of this order) levels of recreational fishing effort, as determined by the Secretary and pursuant to regulations in effect on the day of this order, shall be capped (i.e., no increase of take levels or levels of fishing effort, species targeted, or change in gear types) throughout the Reserve. However, fishing is further restricted as provided in section 8 of this order. (3) The Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and Governor of the State of Hawaii, and after public review and comment and consideration of any advice or recommendations of the Reserve Council and Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, may further restrict the fishing activities under subparagraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section if necessary to protect Reserve resources, or may authorize or require alternate gear types if such gear would offer equal or greater protection for Reserve resources. (b) In addition to the conservation measures in paragraph (a) of this section, the following activities are prohibited throughout the Reserve: (1) Exploring for, developing, or producing oil, gas, or minerals; (2) Having a vessel anchored on any living or dead coral with an anchor, an anchor chain, or an anchor rope when visibility is such that the seabed can be seen; (3) Drilling into, dredging, or otherwise altering the seabed; or constructing, placing, or abandoning any structure, material, or other matter on the seabed, except as an incidental result of anchoring vessels; (4) Discharging or depositing any material or other matter into the Reserve, or discharging or depositing any material or other matter outside the Reserve that subsequently enters the Reserve and injures any resource of the Reserve, except fish parts (i.e., chumming material or bait) used in and during authorized fishing operations, or discharges incidental to vessel use such as deck wash, approved marine sanitation device effluent, cooling water, and engine exhaust; and (5) Removal, moving, taking, harvesting, or damaging any living or nonliving Reserve resources, except as provided under paragraph (a) of this section and sections 8(a) and 9 of this order. (c) The Secretary may conduct, or authorize by permit the activities listed in subparagraphs (b)(3)-(5) of this section to the extent that they are necessary for research, monitoring, education, or management activities that further the Management Principles of section 4 of this order.
Sec. 8. Reserve Preservation Areas. (a) To further protect Reserve resources, the following areas are hereby established as Reserve Preservation Areas until some or all are made permanent after adequate public review and comment, within which all activities referred to in paragraph (b) of this section are prohibited. (1) From the seaward boundary of Hawaii State waters and submerged lands to a mean depth of 100 fathoms (fm) around: (A) Nihoa Island, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue seaward of a mean depth of 10fm, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (B) Necker Island, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue seaward of a mean depth of 20fm, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (C) French Frigate Shoals; (D) Gardner Pinnacles, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue seaward of a mean depth of 10fm, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (E) Maro Reef, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue seaward of a mean depth of 20fm, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (F) Laysan Island, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue seaward of a mean depth of 50fm, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (G) Lisianski Island, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue seaward of a mean depth of 50fm, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (H) Pearl and Hermes Atoll; and (I) Kure Island. (2) Twelve nautical miles around the approximate geographical centers of: (A) The first bank immediately east of French Frigate Shoals; (B) Southeast Brooks Bank, which is the first bank immediately west of French Frigate Shoals, provided that the closure area shall not be closer than approximately 3nm of the next bank immediately west; (C) St. Rogatien Bank, provided that the closure area shall not be closer than approximately 3nm of the next bank immediately east, provided further that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment; (D) The first bank west of St. Rogatien Bank, east of Gardner Pinnacles; (E) Raita Bank; and (F) Pioneer Bank, provided that bottomfishing in accordance with the requirements of section 7(a)(1) of this order shall be allowed to continue, unless and until the Secretary determines otherwise after adequate public review and comment. (b) Activities Prohibited Within Reserve Preservation Areas. (1) In addition to the conservation measures in section 7 of this order, which are applicable to the entire Reserve, the following activities are prohibited within the Reserve Preservation Areas listed in paragraph (a) of this section, except as expressly otherwise stated in this paragraph and sections (8)(a) and 9 of this order: (A) Commercial and recreational fishing; (B) Anchoring in any area that contains available mooring buoys, or anchoring outside an available anchoring area when such area has been designated by the Secretary; (C) Any type of touching or taking of living or dead coral; (D) Discharging or depositing any material or other matter except cooling water or engine exhaust; and (E) Such other activities that the Secretary identifies after adequate public review and comment, and after consideration of any advice and recommendations of the Reserve Council. (2) Notwithstanding the prohibitions in this paragraph, the Secretary may conduct, or authorize by permit, research, monitoring, education, or management activities within any Reserve Preservation Area that further the Management Principles of section 4 of this order. (3) The Reserve Preservation Areas in this section are approximated using fathoms. The Secretary will develop straight line boundaries based on longitude and latitude coordinates to encompass each Reserve Preservation Area, to provide for clarity and ease of identification. The Secretary may make technical modifications to any such boundaries.
Sec. 9. Native Hawaiian Uses. Native Hawaiian non-commercial subsistence, cultural, or religious uses may continue, to the extent consistent with existing law, within the Reserve and Reserve Preservation Areas identified under section 8 of this order. The Secretary shall work with Native Hawaiian interests to identify those areas where such Native Hawaiian uses of the Reserve’s resources may be conducted without injury to the Reserve’s coral reef ecosystem and related marine resources and species, and may revise the areas where such activities may occur after public review and comment, and consideration of any advice and recommendations of the Reserve Council.
Sec. 10. National Wildlife Refuges. (a) The Secretary of the Interior, in managing, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the Hawaiian Islands and Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuges pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) and other applicable laws, shall follow the Management Principles of section 4 of this order, to the extent consistent with applicable law. (b) Wherever the Reserve overlaps the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the Reserve shall be managed to supplement and complement management of the Refuge to ensure coordinated conservation and management of the Reserve and the Refuge, consistent with the purposes and policies of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the National Marine Sanctuaries Amendments Act of 2000, and this order, and the authorities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) and other laws with respect to management of the Refuge. Nothing in this order shall enlarge or diminish the jurisdiction or authority of the Secretary or Secretary of the Interior in managing the Reserve or Refuge, respectively. (c) The Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, shall coordinate with the Secretary and the Governor of the State of Hawaii, as provided under section 5(b) of this order, to ensure coordinated protection and management among the Reserve, Refuges, and State, consistent with relevant authorities.