August 15, 2016 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has agreed to ask the United States government to address a range of concerns about a proposal to expand Hawaii’s protected waters.
The government plans to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii five-fold, which would prohibit fishing in two-thirds of the US Exclusive Economic Zone.
The council, which manages the United States’ fisheries in the Pacific, says it wants a public, transparent, deliberative and science-based process to address its concerns.