Saving Seafood

Clarifying Impact of President Trump’s Action on Pacific Fishing

April 24, 2025 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Recent media responses to President Trump’s April 17 Proclamation to restore access for American fishermen to the waters between 50 to 200 nautical miles (nm) offshore within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIHMNM) have raised questions and some confusion about its impact.

The change focuses on three islands—Wake, Johnston and Jarvis—where the President’s Proclamation will allow commercial fishing in the 50-200-nm zone around each of those islands. PIHMNM also includes four other island areas – Howland & Baker Islands; and Palmyra Atoll & Kingman Reef.

The Proclamation does not directly affect existing fishing restrictions protecting the waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands or the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Commercial fishing remains prohibited within 0-50 nm of all seven islands and atolls within the PIHMNM. These nearshore areas include coral reef ecosystems and provide essential habitat for a variety of protected marine species. Green and hawksbill sea turtles, which primarily inhabit lagoons and reefs within these zones, remain protected. Similarly, seabirds, including the dense nesting colonies of red-footed boobies on Palmyra, continue to thrive in areas unaffected by the Proclamation.

The offshore (50-200 nm) waters reopened by the Proclamation are deep, open-ocean environments, ranging from 900 to more than 6,000 meters deep (0.5 – 3.7 miles).

Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds pointed out that “These areas are well beyond the reach of fishing gear or shallow reef-dependent species. U.S. fishing activities targeting migratory tunas occur near the surface (maximum 400 meters) using gear such as deep-set longlines, which do not contact the seafloor or sensitive habitats.”

Since the Monument’s establishment by President Bush on January 12, 2009, all waters within 0–50 nm of each island area have been closed to commercial fishing. This closure was later expanded under President Obama to include the current monument boundaries out to 200 nm. President Trump’s action does not change the Bush monument boundaries.

The Council’s fisheries management framework under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is among the most comprehensive and conservation-based in the world. It includes:

  • A ban on destructive fishing methods like bottom trawls and drift gillnets since the 1980s
  • Prohibitions on fishing in numerous protected areas established since the 1980s
  • Vessel monitoring and observer coverage for longline fleets since the 1990s
  • Bycatch mitigation regulations reducing sea turtle and seabird interactions by 70–90% in the 2000s

Scientific research supports adaptive, science-based fisheries management as a more effective way to sustain tuna stocks than static marine protected areas (MPAs).

  • Research published by Gilman et al. in 2020 and Hilborn et al. in 2024 found no evidence of a “spillover effect” from static MPAs in PIHMNM and Papahanaumokuakea MNM, respectively.
  • Studies on areas worldwide closed to fishing led by Hilborn et al., and Pons et al. in 2022 confirmed that static open-ocean closures do not effectively conserve highly mobile species such as tunas or reduce bycatch.
  • A 2023 study by Hampton et al. found no conservation benefit for tropical tunas targeted by commercial fisheries from an MPA in a heavily fished area in nearby Kiribati—so closing a lightly fished area like the Pacific Remote Island Areas is unlikely to provide added benefit.

At its core, the Proclamation ensures that American fishermen—not foreign fleets—can responsibly access U.S. waters, while upholding the rigorous conservation standards that have defined U.S. fisheries for decades.

Since 2006, Presidents have used the Antiquities Act to establish five marine national monuments. Four of these monuments are in the Western Pacific Region, encompassing more than half of the U.S. exclusive economic zone surrounding Hawai‘i and the U.S. Pacific Territories and remote islands. Prior to this Proclamation, all monuments prohibited U.S. commercial fishermen from operating in these waters.

For more information, visit the Marine Spatial Management page on the Council website.

Links

United States Exclusive Economic Zones of the US Western Pacific Region map

History of Protected Species Conservation in US Western Pacific Fisheries

Protected Species Conservation Monograph

Milestones of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council

 

A monumental win for American Samoa’s tuna industry on the 125th Anniversary of Cession

April 22, 2025 — Governor Pulaalii Nikolao Pula today [April 17, 2025] issued a statement of strong support and appreciation following President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order amending the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to allow commercial fishing between 50 and 200 nautical miles.

The decision restores access to historic U.S. fishing grounds in the central Pacific—areas critical to the continued operation of the American Samoa-based U.S.-flagged purse seine fleet and vital to the economic security of the Territory.

“Today is a monumental day for the people of American Samoa,” said Governor Pula. “On the 125th anniversary of the Deed of Cession, when our forefathers chose to join the American family; President Trump has reaffirmed that partnership by honoring his commitment to support American industry and stand with small, remote communities like ours.”

Read the full story at Samoa News

 

Trump opens Pacific marine monument to fishing

April 21, 2025 — An executive order issued by President Trump opens the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument to fishing, asserting that U.S. environmental laws and regulation can adequately protect the islands’ marine ecosystem.

The move would allow fishing on more than 400,000 square miles west of Hawaii, declared a monument in 2009 by former president George W. Bush and expanded in 2014 by former president Barack Obama. It includes an array of reefs and seamounts around Wake, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis islands, the Johnston and Palmyra atolls and Kingman Reef.

U.S. Pacific fishermen and American Samoa officials and businesses have sought to lift restrictions on fishing, critical to the territory’s economy.

“As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands,” according to the order Trump signed Thursday. “This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

President Trump Returns Fishing to US Fishermen in the Pacific Islands

April 21, 2025 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

“By doing this, we are giving you back your lives.” President Trump’s words echoed across the Pacific as he signed a Presidential Proclamation to restore access for American fishermen to the waters between 50 and 200 nautical miles offshore within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIHMNM). 

A third of American Samoa’s workforce and 99.5% of its exports are dependent upon access to these waters by U.S. tuna purse seine vessels. Tuna is the most valuable commodity in the Pacific Islands and this Proclamation will help increase U.S. relevance in the Pacific economy. Thirteen U.S. purse seine and approximately 150 U.S. longline vessels compete on the high seas with more than 450 foreign purse seine and more than 1,200 foreign longline vessels in the Western and Central Pacific. In 2023, the catch value was $113 million in the port of Honolulu and $97 million in Pago Pago, ranking sixth and seventh in the nation, respectively (Source: NOAA Fisheries One Stop Shop).

“The Council welcomes the President’s Proclamation that will allow two major U.S. fisheries in the Pacific Ocean back into U.S. waters,” said Taulapapa William Sword, Chair of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. He went on to say this decision is aligned with the Council’s long-held stance that sustainable U.S. fisheries can coexist with marine conservation goals. 

The Proclamation recognizes the effectiveness of U.S. fisheries management under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and reopens parts of the PIHMNM to commercial fishing. The President recognized that well-regulated, U.S.-flagged commercial fisheries are not only compatible with conservation goals but are also vital to national food security, economic resilience and maritime presence in the Pacific. 

The expansion of the Monument in 2014 denied U.S. fishermen access in the entire 200-nautical mile U.S. exclusive economic zone around Johnston and Wake Atolls and Jarvis Island. It did little to prevent overfishing of highly migratory species like tuna, which move freely across international waters. Meanwhile, foreign fleets—often poorly regulated and heavily subsidized—continued to fish near the monument boundaries where they compete with well-managed U.S. tuna fisheries. 

This action restores access to fishing grounds of the Hawai‘i longline fishery, one of the most sustainable and highly regulated fisheries in the world that supplies fresh bigeye and yellowfin tuna to Hawai‘i and the U.S. mainland. These stocks have been maintained above sustainable levels with little risk of overfishing.

This region is sustainably managed under the Council’s Pacific Pelagic and Pacific Remote Island Areas Fishery Ecosystem Plans and associated federal regulations. U.S. longline fisheries have quotas, are required to report their fishing activity and catch, use real-time satellite-based vessel monitoring systems, carry federal observers and use specific gear to minimize impacts to protected species. The Council is also developing new measures for crew training for protected species handling and release and modernizing the fishery’s monitoring program to include camera-based electronic monitoring. 

“The Council remains committed to sustainably managing ocean resources while ensuring that U.S. fishermen are treated equitably in federal policies,” said Kitty Simonds, Council executive director. “Waters from 0 to 50 nautical miles offshore and the corals, fish and sea turtles there continue to be protected by the Council, NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and are off limits to commercial fishing.” She added that “this is a positive step for our island fishing communities, local economies and the broader Pacific region!”

For more information, visit the Marine Spatial Management page on the Council website.

Maps:

United States Exclusive Economic Zones of the US Western Pacific Region

Fleet Sizes of Longline and Purse-Seine Vessels in the Western and Central Pacific (Oct. 31, 2024)

Fishing Effort in the Pacific Ocean (Dec. 1, 2021 – March 1, 2022)

National Fisheries Institute Statement on Executive Order on American Seafood

April 21, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

Tonight, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood community. NFI commends the President and his Administration for taking a thoughtful, strategic approach to supporting American seafood production and consumption. The EO outlines key actions to benefit every link in the supply chain—from hardworking fishermen to parents who serve their family this nutritious and sustainable protein at home.

Importantly, the Order calls for reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on fishermen and seafood producers while also promoting the many benefits of eating seafood as part of a healthy, balanced diet. 

NFI stands ready to support the Administration in advancing this important policy initiative and improving the lives of all those who depend on the commercial seafood industry. 

 

Trump opens Pacific marine monument to commercial fishing

April 21, 2025 — President Donald Trump opened a vast national monument in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing Thursday and indicated he could do the same across other ocean monuments protected by his predecessors.

In a pair of executive actions, including a proclamation targeting a Pacific Ocean monument spanning almost 500,000 square miles, Trump said the United States “should be the world’s dominant seafood leader.”

“Federal overregulation has restricted fishermen from productively harvesting American seafood including through restrictive catch limits, selling our fishing grounds to foreign offshore wind companies, inaccurate and outdated fisheries data, and delayed adoption of modern technology,” Trump wrote in an order titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.”

Read the full story at E&E News

Amata Welcomes Administration Response That PRIMNM Will Not Be Expanded

October 5, 2022 — The following was released by Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata:

Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming a response from the Biden Administration stating that the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) will not be expanded. In a response letter to the Congresswoman’s earlier inquiry, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams said the administration is not considering an expansion to PRIMNM.

Director Williams said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce, and the FWS, part of the Department of the Interior, are co-leads in preparing the Monument Management Plan (MMP) for the PRIMNM.

“As part of this ongoing MMP effort, FWS is not considering additional or potential expansion of the PRIMNM beyond what has already been implemented by Presidential Proclamations 8336 and 9173,” states the FWS reply.

Those presidential proclamations created PRIMNM then tripled it in size, placing over 495,000 square miles of the Pacific off limits. In her June letter to President Biden, Amata urged the administration to seek thorough local input and advice from Pacific territories, saying that American Samoa, as it is thousands of miles from Washington, D.C., “is as rural a community can be in the United States and is traditionally built around a fishing-based culture,” before noting that PRIMNM “removed fishing operations from a U.S. EEZ area that was once the size of California and is now four times that!”

Amata’s Letter to NOAA Fisheries

In other fishing news, on Wednesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata also wrote the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), also known as NOAA Fisheries, to oppose a proposed rule, in support of Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga’s concerns that the rule could result in new restrictions for the U.S. fleet. [Proposed Rule and Request for Comments for “International Fisheries; Western and Central Pacific Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species; Fishing Restrictions in Purse Seine Fisheries and 2022 Longline Bigeye Catch Limit”; 87 FR 55768 (NOAA-NMFS-2022-0082; September 12, 2022) (“Proposed Rule”).]

The Governor’s September 22 letter clarifies American Samoa’s concern: “Knowing that this rule will separate U.S. EEZ days from WCPFC high seas days, and that that separation will likely result in closing the high seas where American Samoa’s US flag purse seiners operate, thereby reducing the tuna supply to our economy, I cannot support this action being proposed by NOAA,” he said.

Amata’s letter emphasizes, “As a representative of a district which is heavily reliant on fishing, I believe this rule would have a negative impact not only on the territory of American Samoa and our own economic stability, but on the rest of the United States fishing industry. I am concerned that NMFS’s proposal will contribute to the economic distress currently faced by my district due to the ongoing decline of our purse-seine fleet.”

She notes, “The rule is unnecessary for compliance with the United State obligations under the WCPFC and hinders the negotiating position of the U.S. industry in critical international access. Furthermore, it is frankly not supported by any scientific reasoning nor does it further any goals of environmental protection or fish stock conservation.”

She agreed with the concerns about the rule expressed by Governor Lemanu, as well as the American Tunaboat Association. “This proposed rule as written is not good for American Samoa and for American fisherman,” she concluded.