Fishery council gears up to restore commercial fishing in Marianas Trench monument and other marine sanctuaries

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has initiated a process to restore commercial fishing in waters within the Marianas Trench National Marine Monument and other federally protected areas in the Pacific, aiming to regain control of those waters while complying with President Trump’s policy to resuscitate America’s seafood industry.

The council is now evaluating current regulations for the Marianas Trench, Pacific Islands Heritage, Rose Atoll and Papahānaumokuākea marine national monuments, with final recommendations to be considered at the March 2026 meeting.

Nathan Ilaoa, director of American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, noted that the federal government has assumed control of the fishing waters since the monuments were established in 2009, sidelining the council.

“Only the feds are in charge and no one else has a say,” said Ilaoa, a council member. “This initiative before the council provides an opportunity to talk about how the people want to manage their resources, rather than being told what to do by the feds.”

Headquartered in Honolulu, the council manages fisheries in federal waters around Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific territories. Its plan to reopen the marine monuments aligns with Trump’s executive order "Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.”

The executive order accompanied the presidential proclamation "Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific” that facilitated the restoration of American Samoa’s commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine Monument, which then-President Joe Biden expanded on Jan. 15. It was one of Biden’s last actions before the end of his term.

On Guam, Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio said any plan to recall the fishing ban must be preceded by an empirical study to ensure sustainability.

He argued that the state of marine resources is shaped by “different realities,” such as climate change, which drives the movement of fish stocks.

“I don't think it's a black and white issue. It's more of a nuanced issue where we have to use science and data to guide the specific parameters of the commercial fishing enterprise that's within our areas,” Tenorio said in an interview with the Pacific Island Times.  

“My position is always going to be on the side with science and data, making sure that the areas that are going to be available for commercial fishing are sustainable and that each jurisdiction can maximize the amount of revenue that it can provide,” Tenorio said, adding, “Markets for the fish should include the areas here in right to address food security.

During its Dec. 16 meeting, the council weighed the public comments on the proposed resumption of commercial activity within the marine sanctuaries.

“Commenters were split: several supported reopening monument waters, especially the Marianas Trench, if done cautiously under enhanced regulations—such as gear and catch limits, protected-species measures, strong monitoring—and paired with baseline studies and adaptive management to support local livelihoods and food security,” the council said in a press release.

Others urged the council to keep existing protections, particularly for Rose Atoll and Papahānaumokuākea, citing the areas’ sacred cultural importance, concerns about inadequate consultation and legal authority, and potential ecological harm.

The council also supported a recommendation to ask the president not to use the Antiquities Act to manage fisheries in federal waters.

Ilaoa said the federal move to close off the waters jeopardized the region’s food security.

 “Pacific island people are unfairly required to bear the burden of the country’s environmental guilt, and the monuments represent a large inequality in how our peoples are treated,” he said.

Council members noted that reopening the marine monuments would help generate additional data needed to determine regulatory options.

“If you don’t go fishing, you can’t get the data,” said Will Sword, council chair.  

Council member Gene Weaver noted the council’s existing regulations provide more than adequate protection.“We can learn from the fishing that occurs to determine if anything more is needed,” he added.

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