Obama expands Hawaii marine protected area; plans Midway Atoll visit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday will dramatically expand the Papah'naumoku'kea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 square miles (1.5 million square km) of the Pacific Ocean.Obama will visit the protected area on Sept. 1 to draw attention to the threat that climate change poses to oceans, traveling to Midway Atoll - a remote coral reef that was the site of a pivotal World War Two battle and is now known for its sea turtles, monk seals, and millions of seabirds.(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)Join the conversation about this story
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