|
|
 Measuring
about 200 square miles (518 sq. km), the French Frigate
Shoals (Mokupāpapa in Hawaiian) is the largest atoll in
the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The shoals are about
560 miles (902 km) northwest of Honolulu. The atoll is comprised
of about a dozen small islands, a 20-mile (32 km) long crescent-shaped
reef, 12 sandbars and the 120 feet (36 m) high La Perouse
Pinnacle, the only remains of its volcanic origins. The
total land area of the islands is 61.508 acres (24.891 ha),
and the total coral reef area of the shoals is over 232,000
acres (93,900 ha).
The French Frigate Shoals were named after French explorer
Jean-François de La Pérouse, who almost lost two frigates
when trying to navigate the shoals. There is no evidence
of extensive human activity or presence on the shoals, but
it is believed that the earliest human visitor to the French
Frigate Shoals came from the larger Hawaiian Islands in
the south, which were settled by Polynesians between 1100
and 1300 AD.
In the late 1800s, American and European companies became
interested in the possibility of mining guano in the Hawaiian
Islands. In 1894, the Republic of Hawaii leased the French
Frigate Shoals and also some of the neighbor islands (Kure
Atoll, Midway Atoll and Pearl and Hermes Reef) for 25 years
to the North Pacific Phosphate and Fertilizer Company. However,
it was found that the guano and phosphate deposits at the
French Frigate Shoals were impractical to mine.
On July 7, 1898, Hawaii became a U.S. Territory and the
French Frigate Shoals were included among the islands acquired
by the U.S. During World War II (in the early months of
the U.S.-Japanese conflict), Japanese seaplanes sometimes
used the French Frigate Shoals to refuel by submarine. But
by mid-1942, U.S. naval activity increased in the area preventing
further Japanese use. After the Battle of Midway, which
took place from June 4, 1942, to June 7, 1942, the U.S.
Navy built a Naval Air Station on Tern Island, which has
a land area of 26.014 acres (10.527 ha).
 They
enlarged Tern Island enough to support a 3,300 feet (1,005
m) landing strip. The main purpose of this runway was for
emergency landings for planes flying between Hawaii and
the Midway Atoll. Up until today, the original seawall,
runway and some of the buildings remain. The island is now
maintained as a field station in the Hawaiian Islands National
Wildlife Refuge by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2000, the French Frigate Shoals became part of the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, which in
2006 was incorporated into the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
National Monument.
There’s a submerged island in the French Frigate Shoals
– Whale-Skate Island, which suffered a lot of erosion beginning
in the 1960s. By the late 1990s, it was completely washed
over.
The French Frigate Shoals are home to 41 species of stony
corals, including some that are not even found in the Main
Hawaiian Islands. Furthermore, the reef supports a large
variety of fish. The masked angelfish (Genicanthus personatus),
for example, is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and is very
common here. Also, more then 600 species of marine invertebrates,
many of which are endemic (are not found anywhere else in
the world), live here, plus more than 150 species of algae.
Many of the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles come here
to nest, and the shoals also provide refuge to the largest
surviving population of Hawaiian monk seals.
In addition to the marine life, the French Frigate Shoals
are home to 18 species of seabirds, including the Laysan
Albatross, Black-footed Albatross, Bonin Petrel, Bulwer's
Petrel, Tristram's Storm-petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater,
Christmas Shearwater, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Masked Booby,
Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Great Frigatebird, Gray-backed
Tern, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Blue-gray Noddy, Black Noddy
and White Tern. Several species of shorebirds also winter
here.
In a three-week research mission conducted by the National
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 100 new species
never seen in the area before were discovered, including
many that are completely new to science.
Photo credit: Photos courtesy of Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands Multi-Agency Education Project |
|
Discount Hawaii Car
Rentals
Hawaii and International Moving & Shipping
Maui Car Rentals
Oahu Moped Tours
and Rentals
|
HAWAII'S BEST BEACHES
|
|
ALA MOANA BEACH, OAHU
 Ala
Moana Beach Park, located between Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, is a
favorite beach among local Oahu residents. Often times less crowded than
Waikiki Beach, Ala Moana is a great place to swim, picnic, stroll on the
beach or to relax.
Read More.
WAILEA BEACH, MAUI
 Wailea
Beach on Maui’s west coast is long and has golden sand. It’s one of five
beaches that are part of the Wailea resort complex, so it's often times
crowded.
Read
More.
KAENA POINT, OAHU
 Kaena,
which means “red hot” or “glowing” in the Hawaiian language, is the name
of the northwestern tip of the island of Oahu. Kaena Point State Park is
so remote that no road leads here.
Read
More.
|
|
