Scientists from the Bishop Museum, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Association for Marine Exploration published a description of a new species of coral reef fish that they named after President Barack Obama.
The fish, whose scientific name is Tosanoides obama, was discovered during a June 2016 NOAA research expedition to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The study is published in the open-access scientific journal ZooKeys.
“We named this fish after President Obama to recognize his efforts to protect and preserve the natural environment, including the expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea,” said Richard Pyle, Bishop Museum scientist and lead author of the study. “This expansion adds a layer of protection to one of the last great wilderness areas on Earth.”
On Aug. 26, at the urging of Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Native Hawaiian leaders, conservationists, and many marine scientists, Obama expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. At 582,578 square miles, it is the largest permanent marine protected area on Earth.
On Sept. 1, the president was given a picture of the fish that now bears his name during his trip to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge within the Monument. The photograph was presented by famed undersea explorer Sylvia Earle, and the exchange will be featured in the National Geographic film, “Sea of Hope: America’s Underwater Treasures” scheduled to be released Jan. 15.