Pacific fishery council asks Trump to free up Hawaii’s newest marine sanctuary

 By Pacific Island Times News Staff

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will ask President Donald Trump to lift fishing restrictions within Hawaii’s newest marine sanctuary, in line with his administration’s policy to recharge the United States’ seafood industry.

During a meeting in Honolulu this week, council members agreed to make an official request for the president to free up the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary, which has been designated as America’s 18th national monument at the tail-end of the Biden administration.

The council maintained that commercial fisheries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were “sustainably managed” before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated Papahānaumokuākea as a marine sanctuary.

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“For more than 60 years, commercial fishing took place in the region without degrading the ecosystem, which was recognized as one of the healthiest and most intact in the world,” the council said in a press release.

Papahānaumokuākea’s sanctuary designation officially took effect on March 3.

Covering 582,570 sq.mi area in the Pacific Ocean, Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. 

The council said reopening Papahānaumokuākea to fishing is consistent with Trump’s recent executive order, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness and Revitalizing the American Blue Economy.”

Trump has directed federal agencies “to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and increase sustainable U.S. seafood production.”

The executive order, signed on April 17, reopened American Samoa’s marine sanctuary to commercial fishing, receiving a thumbs-up from the territorial government while drawing criticisms from conservationists and environmental advocates.

“When the White House recognized our fishing traditions, it was powerful,” said Judith Guthertz, a council member and vice chair for Guam. “We’ve honored these practices for generations and that respect should be reflected in policy decisions.”

The council previously recommended that fishing within the monument be allowed under a special permit system, with access granted to Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, including consideration for cost recovery.

The council also agreed to endorse a preliminary list of recommendations to reduce regulatory burdens on U.S. fisheries and to initiate a review of existing fishing prohibitions in Pacific marine monuments.

 “This executive order gives us a real opportunity to reform outdated policies and support our fisheries more effectively,” said Kitty Simonds, the council executive director.

Members also voted to write a letter to the secretary of commerce and the U.S. trade representative outlining unfair trade practices and proposing corrective measures under the America First seafood strategy.

“These actions responded to concerns raised at last month’s Council Coordination Committee meeting in New Bedford, where members discussed the impact of low-cost seafood imports, inconsistent labeling and lack of traceability,” the council said in a press release.

The council noted that the U.S. provides $60 million annually in foreign fishery aid through agreements with the Pacific Islands Forum and under the Compact of Free Association.

But while the freely associated states—the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands—receive assistance, the council deplored that U.S. Pacific territories “continue to face limited investment in their own fisheries.”

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