Ron Anglin, the manager of the Midway Refuge, says about the Fish and Wildlife’s union with Midway Phoenix: “It’s a marriage. Like all marriages, it was sex and fireworks at first. Now it has to get into compromising.” Midway Phoenix is responsible for maintaining the physical facilities and for getting visitors to and from the island. Right now the private company says it is losing $2.5 million a year on the operation. To break even, it needs 65 paying customers on each Aloha flight. So far the numbers have proved elusive. The arrangement with Fish and Wildlife, says Dave Holmer of Midway Phoenix, “is still evolving. Their mission is to protect and preserve, and humans are often the antithesis to that. But we need them, and they need us. The fact that this is protected, a pristine refuge, is appealing to guests.”

Aloha Airlines (800-367-5250; www.alohaairlines.org ) makes the three-hour flight from Honolulu to Midway once a week, on Saturdays. To disturb the birds as little as possible, the plane arrives and departs after dark in the winter months, when great numbers of albatross are on the atoll. Roundtrip from Honolulu is $535. The Oceanic Society’s expeditions include, among other activities, research on spinner dolphins and seabirds and range from $1,680 to $1,800 a week, including room, board, and airfare from Honolulu (800-326-7491; www.oceanic-society.org ). For individual land reservations, contact Midway Phoenix (888-643-9291; www.midwayisland.com ).