Representative Image of coastal habitat restoration on Tern Island, with seabirds thriving amid conservation efforts and rising sea levels (AI-generated image)
Instead, it notes that US Fish and Wildlife Service teams have sown naupaka seeds on the island several times since Hurricane Walaka in 2018. Because currents in the dredged channel on the island’s north side would cause rapid erosion, coastal engineering experts at the workshop believed the seawalls could not be removed entirely. The report recommends planning for seawall removal or replacement, subject to further engineering and hydrodynamic studies. For habitat stabilisation, the report recommends identifying suitable indigenous plant species to improve nesting and resting areas, provide shade and retain sand. It does not prescribe naupaka for future planting. The report also recommends coordinating planting with invasive-plant removal and considering a shade house and water catchment system.
On September 10, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced an $8.5 million award to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project for work at Tern Island, part of Lalo, also known as French Frigate Shoals. A 2024 report outlines possible restoration measures, including addressing contaminants and derelict structures and improving habitat conditions. An earlier state-of-knowledge paper cited in the 2024 Lalo (French Frigate Shoals) Resilience Implementation Options Report identifies it as the priority landmass for species diversity and population size. The US Fish and Wildlife Service maintained more than 30 years of data on breeding pairs, breeding seasons and reproductive performance for most of the 21 monument species in its database. Annual monitoring ended after severe weather damaged field research facilities in 2012. A Coast Guard cleanup in 2001 was not completed, leaving high PCB concentrations that affected surrounding water and wildlife.
Tern Island is part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The report describes Lalo as having hosted “the most comprehensive and long-term” breeding seabird monitoring programme in the US tropical Pacific. Its Tern Island Removal Action profile says waste from the former Coast Guard LORAN station was placed in a large dump, while a legacy burn pit contributed high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to the soil.
A remote island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is set to receive federal funding for coastal habitat restoration as conservation managers confront rising seas, storms and deteriorating infrastructure. Tern Island has the largest area of available land at the atoll and is identified as a priority landmass for species diversity and population size. Its habitat supports seabirds and other wildlife but is vulnerable to flooding, erosion and damage from animals moving inland. Tern Island lies within Lalo, the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Tern Island has the largest amount of available land at Lalo. The island supports black-footed albatrosses, Laysan albatrosses, Bonin petrels and Tristram’s storm petrels. The report notes that a high proportion of the global populations of these four species breed at a small number of sites, many only a few metres above sea level. Tern Island also has a history of long-term wildlife research. The report identifies contaminant removal as a high-urgency action that should precede longer-term habitat improvements. It discusses options including removing contaminated sediment for disposal in the main Hawaiian Islands, containing remaining contaminants in concrete and considering bioremediation. The work is linked to a separate cleanup effort overseen by the EPA. The EPA is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the removal action, but its public profile does not establish whether field cleanup has since been completed. Infrastructure modification is another high-urgency priority. The report recommends removing derelict barracks and outbuildings, improving the boat ramp and davit, and establishing a more permanent research shelter. It also proposes breaking up the Tern Island runway to create nesting habitat for burrowing seabirds.