Saving Seafood

NOAA moves forward with plan to reopen Pacific monument

November 11, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is proposing to reopen approximately 408,000 square miles of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial longline and purse seine fishing, advancing an effort to restore fishing access to waters closed to the industry for more than a decade.

According to Maui Now, the proposed rule would allow commercial fishing between 50 and 200 nautical miles of Johnston Atoll, Wake Island and Jarvis Island. The waters have been closed to commercial fishing since the monument’s expansion in 2014, although fishing fleets briefly regained access in 2025.

The proposal advances a recommendation made by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESPAC) in March, when the council voted to restore commercial fishing access in portions of four Pacific marine national monuments. Council members argued that reopening the waters would support domestic fishing fleets and island economies while maintaining federal fishing regulations, including catch limits, reporting requirements, and protected species safeguards.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

2026 Pacific Coral Surveys Complete

September 16, 2026 — The following was released by the NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA scientists returned from American Samoa and the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument after conducting coral reef monitoring surveys. The team sailed south from Honolulu to Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef, where they completed their suite of surveys. After a 2,000 kilometer transit down to American Samoa, they visited the islands of Tutuila, Ofu, Olosega, Tau, Swains, and Rose atoll. On the way back to Honolulu, scientists stopped at Howland and Baker Islands to wrap up their surveys in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.

To better understand these coral reef ecosystems, scientists:

  • Counted fish
  • Photographed coral
  • Collected water samples
  • Swapped out oceanographic instruments
  • Collected juvenile fish

You can revisit their journey through an interactive StoryMap.

Trump signs order reopening protected Pacific waters to commercial fishing

June 15, 2026 — President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday reopening large portions of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to commercial fishing.

The proclamation lifts restrictions that had prevented U.S. commercial fishing in waters surrounding several remote U.S.-controlled islands and atolls in the central Pacific, including Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Howland Island, Baker Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll.

Among those celebrating the proclamation was Pacific Seafood CEO Frank Dulcich, who spoke during Thursday’s signing ceremony at the White House.

Dulcich, whose company was founded in Portland and has grown into one of North America’s largest vertically integrated seafood companies, said the policy change would have real-world impacts for employees, fishermen, and coastal economies in Oregon and across the West Coast.

“We have 3,000 families that work with us and 715 fishing families in Oregon, Washington, California, and Alaska that depend on what we catch, what we process, and what we grow,” Dulcich told Trump. “You’ve given us access to these family wage jobs and these coastal communities where we’re usually the number one or number two employer in those cities and counties.”

According to the White House, the action is intended to “restore American commercial fishing in the Pacific” by reducing what it describes as unnecessary regulations that have limited domestic fishermen while foreign fleets continue operating nearby.

Read the full article at KATU