A trio of conservation groups have sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, challenging the president’s recent decision to allow commercial fishing within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
“President Trump’s proclamation threatens to destroy one of the world’s last healthy and wild ocean ecosystems. Commercial fishing would remove large numbers of fish, sharks, turtles, and other marine life as both intended catch and unintended bycatch. This would completely disrupt the underwater ecosystem and wreak havoc on the food chain. Many of these creatures and areas are culturally important to the people of Oceania, for traditional and modern navigation and as a valuable food source,” Conservation Council for Hawai‘i Executive Director Jonee Peters said in a statement.
Initially established as the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) by then-U.S. President George W. Bush, the monument was greatly expanded to more than 400,000 square miles by then-U.S. President Barack Obama. Trump considered shrinking the boundaries of the monument during his first term, but no action was taken before Trump left office.
During his term in office, then-U.S. President Joe Biden attempted to expand the monument boundaries even farther – covering an area of 770,000 square miles – and designating it a national marine sanctuary.
“The Pacific Remote Islands ecosystems face persistent threats from hazards, such as marine debris, invasive species and climate change,” then-NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in 2023. “Designating this incredibly important area as a national marine sanctuary would complement and strengthen existing efforts to preserve the region’s natural, cultural, and historic values.”
However, the Biden administration was unable to complete the national marine sanctuary process before the end of his term. In the final month of his presidency, Biden renamed PRIMNM as the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
Now in his second term, Trump has moved to roll back Biden-era environmental efforts and present himself as a supporter of the domestic seafood sector.
In April, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a proclamation, “Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific,” reopening the monument to commercial fishing. The proclamation allows ...
