Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13178: Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve

President: Bill Clinton

Created a coral-reef ecosystem reserve around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and directed sanctuary designation work.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13178 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13178 remains in effect. See Executive Order 13196: Final Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13178 do?

EO 13178 established the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, capped certain fishing, prohibited destructive activities and directed NOAA to pursue national-marine-sanctuary designation. EO 13196 amended and finalized reserve protections. Later proclamations designated the waters Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and expanded it. A June 2026 proclamation restored commercial fishing access in specified waters seaward of 50 nautical miles while leaving specified restrictions within 50 nautical miles of certain islands and reefs in place; other location-specific monument and sanctuary rules still apply.

Claim-level review October 2, 2026: The June 2026 proclamation restored commercial fishing access in specified Papahānaumokuākea waters seaward of the 50-nautical-mile limits. It expressly leaves specified restrictions within 50 nautical miles of certain Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in place; the proclamation does not erase the reserve's separate history or all conservation rules.

Administration position: The order created federal protections but did not erase Native Hawaiian interests, other lawful jurisdiction or the need for later site-specific regulations.
SignedDecember 4, 2000
FinalizedEO 13196 in 2001
Later designationPapahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Before and after

Before the order

The region had wildlife-refuge and fishery protections without a single large coral-reef ecosystem reserve.

After the order

A reserve framework restricted uses and became part of a larger monument and sanctuary-management system.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Commerce Secretary and NOAAManage the reserve and sanctuary processContinuing
Reserve councilAdvise on managementContinuing or incorporated in later structures
Resource usersFollow reserve, monument and fishery rulesCurrent rules changed in 2026

What happened next

EO 13178 established the reserve.

EO 13196 finalized reserve protections.

Proclamation 8031 created the marine national monument.

A proclamation restored commercial fishing access in specified zones.

Signed text, official disposition and the cited later implementation records for EO 13178 rechecked.