Pearl and Hermes Atoll

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NASA picture of the Pearl and Hermes Atoll.

The Pearl and Hermes Atoll (Hawaiian: Holoikauaua), is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Discovered in 1857, a few, small, sandy islands exist, contained within a lagoon and surrounded by a coral reef. These islands are devoid of vegetation, except for several species of grasses. The total land area of all its islets is 88.952 acres (35.998 ha). The atoll had its greatest importance within the pearl trade. In 1927, Captain William Greig Anderson was fishing for tuna and in the process, discovered pearl beds within the lagoon. This opened up the first commercial activity within the atoll, but the pearl trade lasted for only a few years. The Hawaiian government elected to suspend all commercial activity and render the area as a bird sanctuary. In June of 2006, George W. Bush declared the atoll and all other parts of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument.

The endangered Laysan Finch was introduced to the island to provide a back up population of the birds, should a hurricane, disease, rat introduction, or other disaster wipe out the population on the island of Laysan.