Most of the 96 national monuments designated under U.S. law
are on land. The majority are managed by the National Park
Service, though some are administered by the Bureau of Land
Management and other agencies. At this point neither the
name of the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monu-
ment (MTMNM) nor the management structure has been de-
termined. For guidance one could review the process of the
recently designated Papahanaumokuakea Marine National
Monument (PMNM), which is placed within the purview of the
It is becoming clear that there is a fair amount of small plastic distributed in the oceans and on beaches worldwide, not surprising given its durability and floatability. Marine debris is often ingested by animals such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and seabirds. Items such as lighters and small plastic pieces may look like food to an animal, or have an animal's natural food attached to it. Debris may also be ingested accidentally with actual food items. Exactly how many of them die each year due to marine debris ingestion is not
known.
Two species of sea turtles and eight lizards comprise the herpetofauna of Kapingamarangi Atoll; the giant Micronesian gecko (Perochirus scutellatus) is unknown elsewhere. The mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris), oceanic gecko (Gehyra
oceanica), and azure-tailed copper-striped skink (Emoia impar) are the most common and widespread species, being recorded on 100%, 97%, and 87% of the 31 islands, respectively. The stump-toed gecko (Gehyra mutilata) and the Pacific blue-tailed skink