Issues: Oceans

This archipelago, practically uninhabited by humans, begins 120 nautical miles west of the main Hawaiian islands. Some 14 million seabirds nest there, and in the surrounding waters lie the largest, oldest and most pristine coral reefs in the United States, which support more than 7,000 marine species. Many are endangered or threatened, including the Hawaiian monk seal and the green, leatherback, and hawksbill sea turtles. Exotic, colorful fish and invertebrates take food and shelter from 60-odd species of coral in the reefs. Deeper waters support commercially important fish like groupers and deep sea snappers. But what makes this chain even more spectacular is the abundance of sharks and other large predatory fish. In most large coral reef ecosystems, overfishing has taken a devastating toll on sharks and other top-of-the-food-chain aquatic life. Not so in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

A presidential order in 2000 designated nearly 100,000 square nautical miles in the area a marine reserve, restricting both commercial and recreational fishing. It's the largest nature preserve -- land or marine -- ever established in the United States. Limiting fishing has helped this ecosystem thrive, but it's still not immune from outside threats. The area's unique current patterns sweep tons of marine debris in from outside the preserve. Seabirds eat floating plastic garbage, and old fishing lines and nets can tangle and drown seals and turtles, as well as scour coral reefs.

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Photos: top and right, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce; bottom, NOAA