Thriving Wildlife Triggers Hope For Hawaii's Marine Life

POSTED: 3:20 pm HST January 12, 2012
UPDATED: 10:07 am HST January 13, 2012

HONOLULU -- Recent trips scanning the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are providing hope for a healthy environmental future. Environmental artist Wyland and National Geographic explorer Sylvia Earle returned from their explorations with good news.

"We saw a very healthy ecosystem, big schools of fish," Wyland said.

Midway Atoll and Papahanaumokuakea are recovery sites. Wyland and Earle said the monk seals, sea turtles, sharks, and albatross are thriving. They credit a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state and NOAA with restoring the wildlife environment since it was declared a sanctuary five years ago.

"All of this has resulted with real hope. It will never go back to what it was like 1,000 or not even 100 years ago, but it's certainly better," Earle said.

Read more: http://www.kitv.com/news/30201407/detail.html#ixzz1jNWTUmHz

Good for the NW Islands, now if only we could regulate the aquarium trade, and catch the bastard who's murdering monk seals:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/30000-reward-offered-to-solve-killings-of-critically-endangered-hawaiian-monk-seals/2012/01/11/gIQAgS0lrP_story.html

Love the ocean.