The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, which was previously called the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, is a collection of U.S. Pacific Island territories that are not officially organized or fully incorporated. These areas are managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Department of the Interior, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. These remote protected areas are the largest group of marine and land habitats in the world managed by one country. They help protect many species found only in this region, including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and plants that exist nowhere else.

History

The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was created as a national monument on January 6, 2009, by U.S. President George W. Bush. This followed his earlier creation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on June 6, 2006. The original monument covered about 83,000 square miles (210,000 km²). It was expanded on September 25, 2014, by U.S. President Barack Obama. After the expansion, the monument covers 490,343 square miles (1,269,980 km²). It includes areas far south and west of Hawaii, such as Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island.

At Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll, the land, reefs, and waters within 12 nautical miles (22 km) are part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. For Baker Island, Howland Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll, fishing activities between the 12 nmi (22 km) refuge boundary and the 50 nmi (93 km) monument boundary are managed by NOAA. For Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, and Wake Island, fishing activities between the 12 nmi (22 km) refuge boundary and the 200 nmi (370 km) monument boundary are managed by NOAA. The land areas at Wake and Johnston Atolls are under the control of the U.S. Air Force, but the waters within 12 nmi (22 km) are protected as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The monument is closed to commercial fishing and other activities like deep-sea mining.

The monument includes unique plants, birds, and animals adapted to life near the equator, such as rare sea turtles, whales, and Hawaiian monk seals that visit Johnston Atoll. It also includes high-quality coral reefs. U.S. federal law prevents resource destruction, waste dumping, and commercial fishing in the monument. Research, free passage, and recreation are allowed.

On June 17, 2014, President Obama proposed expanding the marine protected area to 782,000 square miles (2,030,000 km²) using his executive powers. Sport fishing was not included in the expansion, and the public was asked for feedback. On September 25, 2014, President Obama signed a proclamation expanding the monument to six times its original size, covering 490,343 square miles (1,269,982 km²) around the islands and atolls in the south-central Pacific Ocean. This expansion protected deep coral reefs, seamounts, and marine ecosystems that are vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification. The boundaries were expanded to the 200 nmi (370 km) outer limits of the U.S. EEZ around Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, and Jarvis Island, while keeping the 50 nmi (93 km) boundaries for Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Howland and Baker Islands as established in the 2009 proclamation.

In September 2017, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, under the Trump Administration, suggested reducing the monument’s boundaries by an unspecified amount. However, by January 2021, former President Trump had not acted on this recommendation.

In March 2023, President Biden asked the Secretary of Commerce to consider designating the monument and other areas within the U.S. EEZ as a National Marine Sanctuary and to study renaming the monument, its islands, and related wildlife refuges. After working with Pacific Island communities and publishing a report in March 2024, President Biden renamed the monument the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument on January 2, 2025, to honor traditional voyages and cultural connections in the region.

On April 17, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order removing protected status from parts of the national monument. This allowed commercial fishing from 50 to 200 nautical miles (the limit of the U.S. EEZ) from the land. Previously, the area was the largest marine protected area in the world.

Geography

The following islands are part of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument:

• Baker Island: An atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,830 nautical miles (3,390 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 0°13′N 176°31′W (0.217°N 176.517°W). It is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The atoll covers 129 square kilometers, with 2.1 square kilometers of land and 127 square kilometers of water.

• Howland Island: An island in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,815 nautical miles (3,361 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 0°48′N 176°38′W (0.800°N 176.633°W). It is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The island covers 139 square kilometers, with 2.6 square kilometers of land and 136 square kilometers of water.

• Jarvis Island: An island in the South Pacific Ocean, 1,305 nautical miles (2,417 kilometers) south of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 0°23′S 160°01′W (0.383°S 160.017°W). It is about halfway between Hawaii and the Cook Islands. The island covers 152 square kilometers, with 5 square kilometers of land and 147 square kilometers of water.

• Johnston Atoll: An atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 717 nautical miles (1,328 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 16°45′N 169°31′W (16.750°N 169.517°W). It is about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands. The atoll covers 276.6 square kilometers, with 2.6 square kilometers of land and 274 square kilometers of water.

• Kingman Reef: A reef in the North Pacific Ocean, 930 nautical miles (1,720 kilometers) south of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 6°23′N 162°25′W (6.383°N 162.417°W). It is about halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa. The reef covers 1,958.01 square kilometers, with 0.01 square kilometers of land and 1,958 square kilometers of water.

• Palmyra Atoll: An atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 960 nautical miles (1,780 kilometers) south of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 5°53′N 162°05′W (5.883°N 162.083°W). It is about halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa. The atoll covers 1,949 square kilometers, with 3.9 square kilometers of land and 1,946 square kilometers of water.

• Wake Island: An atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 3,698 kilometers (2,298 miles) west of Honolulu. Its coordinates are 19°17′N 166°37′E (19.283°N 166.617°E). It is about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu to Guam. The atoll covers 13.86 square kilometers, with 7.38 square kilometers of land and 6.48 square kilometers of water.

South of the monument is the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, which covers 408,250 square kilometers (157,630 square miles). This area was created by the government of Kiribati.

Because the islands are spread across the ocean, each has a different climate. Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands have an equatorial climate, with very little rain, strong winds, and hot sun. Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef have a tropical climate but are generally dry, with steady northeast trade winds and little change in temperature throughout the year. Palmyra Atoll has a hot, equatorial climate. It is located in a low-pressure area where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet, making it extremely wet, with 4,000–5,000 millimeters (160–200 inches) of rainfall each year.

A recent study in the journal Climatic Change suggests that the expanded reserve may help pelagic fish populations in the Pacific survive better as ocean temperatures rise. Researchers found that by 2060, warmer temperatures may cause skipjack tuna from the Western Pacific to move into the protected waters of the monument, away from heavily fished areas.

Population

The seven islands that form the marine national monument are not home to permanent residents. However, they serve as important links between Hawaii, Micronesia, and other Polynesian sea voyaging cultures. In the past, travelers moving from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands often stopped at Johnston Atoll. Wake Atoll is connected to the Republic of the Marshall Islands through geography, culture, and history. Kingman, Palmyra, Jarvis, Howland, and Baker are connected to the Republic of Kiribati. These islands share connections through voyaging and cultural traditions.

Wake Atoll currently has about 125 people living there temporarily, including military personnel and contractors. Johnston Atoll had a maximum population of 1,100 military and civilian workers in 2000, but it was emptied by 2007. From 2010 to 2021, five scientists lived on the island as part of a research program. Since May 2021, Johnston Atoll has no permanent residents. Palmyra Atoll usually has four to twenty staff members from the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The other islands are typically uninhabited.

Access to the islands requires a special-use permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Entry is generally limited to scientists and educators. Only Wake Island and Palmyra Atoll have runways that can be used for aircraft. Jarvis, Johnston Atoll, Baker, and Howland Islands once had airstrips, but these are no longer in use.