A kayaker heads toward Midway, which is about to open the doors to a small-scale visitor program managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The atoll is part of Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, dubbed the Hawaiian Galápagos, and was established in 2006 by President Bush. (Pamela Frierson / Special to The Los Angeles Times)
A monk seal finds a place to snooze amid the bottles, marine equipment and flotsam that the sea washes up on the shores of Laysan Island. (Pamela Frierson / Special to The Los Angeles Times)
Albatrosses rule the roost at Eastern Island, Northwestern Hawaiian Island Marine National Monument (Pamela Frierson / Special to The Los Angeles Times)
