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Corals are
living animals that eat, grow and reproduce.
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The reef
ecosystem feeds, shelters and provides habitats for fish,
protects the shoreline from wave and sand erosion and creates
Hawaii’s famous white sand beaches and underwater
paradise.
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The Hawaiian
Islands have 410,000 acres of living reef in the main
islands alone, more than the landmass of Oahu.
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A large
percentage of coral reefs under US jurisdiction are
in the NWHI.
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Hawaii’s
living reef ecosystem, sometimes referred to as the “rainforest”
of the sea, has more than 7,000 known species of marine plants
and animals.
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Hawaii’s
coral reef ecosystem, because of its isolation, has more than
1,250 unique species of marine life that can be found only
on Hawaii’s reefs.
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Over 25% of
all marine life is endemic to Hawaii and scientists are finding
new species regularly.
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More than
500 species of marine algae have been identified in Hawaiian
coastal waters. Algae produce more oxygen than all the land
plants in the world, combined. They are also an important
food source for the ocean’s fish and other animals,
produce compounds found in gelatin, jam and many other food
products. Coralline algae create much of the sand on Hawaii’s
beautiful beaches.
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Marine preserves
help promote reef life. A good example is Hanauma Bay. Designated
in 1967, Hanauma Bay is Hawaii's first marine life conservation
district. Because of its protection from fishing pressure,
the weight of fish (biomass) in Hanauma Bay is 3-4 times than
the estimated abundance for most reef sites on Oahu.
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A Presidential
Executive Order in 2000 set aside 84 million acres of ocean
around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as the Northwestern
Hawaiian Island Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the largest
conservation area ever established in the United States.
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The majority
of the nation’s coral reefs are found around the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands (the 10 mostly uninhabited islets and atolls
extending 1,200 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands).
Except for Midway and Kure Atolls, these islands, atolls
and reefs were set aside by President Theodore Roosevelt
in 1909 in what is now known as the Hawaiian Islands National
Wildlife Refuge.
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