Trump in June ordered commercial fishing opened in the deep waters of three Pacific marine monuments, including Papahānaumokuākea, extending access across protected U.S. Pacific waters.
More than 1 million square miles of Pacific waters are under monument or sanctuary protection, and conservationists say the newly opened zones include some of the region’s most intact coral reef and predator ecosystems.
Hawaii’s longline fleet backs the move, saying access would help it compete with foreign tuna vessels and offset rising diesel costs while fishing in waters closed to non-U.S. boats.
Native Hawaiian and conservation groups oppose the change, citing sacred status, co-management rights and bycatch risks; in 2015 the fleet caught and discarded more than 7,000 sharks near the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Those groups plan to sue over the three-monument opening, while NOAA is still separately weighing a regulatory decision this year on commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
If protected zones actually boost nearby tuna catches by 54%, could reopening these sacred Pacific waters ironically harm the fishing industry?
How will federal regulators balance the economic survival of commercial tuna fleets with the preservation of a sacred UNESCO World Heritage site?
With thousands of sharks previously discarded, what hidden ecological costs await the reopening of these pristine marine monuments to commercial fleets?