Kategorie: News
Trump’s “America First” Fisheries Policy Reaches the Pacific’s Protected Areas
On June 11, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the proclamation “Restoring American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific.” It reopens parts of three Pacific Marine National Monuments to commercial fishing by U.S.-flagged vessels: Papahānaumokuākea near Hawaii, the Mariana Trench Monument, and Rose Atoll near American Samoa. In total, this covers nearly 1.3 million square kilometers of ocean area.
The areas affected include, among others, the Mau and Ho’omalu zones, as well as waters beyond 50 nautical miles within Papahānaumokuākea; the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Monument; and the zone between 12 and 50 nautical miles around Rose Atoll. Trump justified the move by stating that certain fishing bans were “not necessary at this time.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke of new economic opportunities for coastal communities, particularly for the Honolulu-based longline fishing industry.
This is not the first measure of its kind: As early as 2025, Trump opened the Pacific Islands Heritage Monument in a similar manner. A federal court in Hawaii overturned that decision in August 2025—a precedent that is likely to be relevant to the new proclamation as well.
What’s at stake
Papahānaumokuākea alone covers more than 1.5 million square kilometers and is one of the world’s largest marine protected areas. Over 7,000 species live here, many of which are endemic, including the endangered green sea turtle and the Hawaiian monk seal. Humpback whales also use the region as their habitat.
Conservation organizations reacted sharply: Earthjustice announced legal action, and Maxx Phillips of the Center for Biological Diversity called the proclamation a “reckless attack” on the world’s largest marine protected areas. Critics also point to an economic counterargument: The U.S. fleet is already exhausting its tuna quotas in international waters—so “additional sources” do not solve any real supply problem.
More Than an Ecosystem
For Native Hawaiians, Papahānaumokuākea is far more than an ecosystem. The name stems from a creation myth according to which all life there originated from a coral. Kekuewa Kikiloi, co-chair of the Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group responsible for the area, called the decision a setback for two decades of joint conservation efforts and announced legal action.
Even at a public hearing in March 2026, critical voices—predominantly indigenous—clearly outnumbered supporters, despite the subsequent decision to open the area to fishing.
The proclamation emphasizes that conservation laws such as the Endangered Species Act remain in effect. Whether this is sufficient to protect sensitive ecosystems from additional fishing pressure is a matter of debate among experts—especially since earlier studies are said to have demonstrated a positive “spillover effect” of the protected zones on surrounding fishing grounds.
Following the government’s legal defeat in the Pacific Islands Heritage case, it is likely that this proclamation will also be challenged in court before any new fishing regulations take effect.
Sources:
NOAA Fisheries: https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/executive-proclamation-restores-commercial-fishing-in-pacific-marine-monuments-unlocks-economic
Earthjustice: https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/trump-administration-continues-attacks-on-pristine-pacific-marine-monuments
Honolulu Civil Beat: https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/06/trump-reopens-protected-hawaiian-waters-to-commercial-fishing/
Inside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07082026/commercial-fishing-in-protected-pacific-marine-national-monuments/
Hawaii News Now: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/06/12/trump-signs-proclamation-open-marine-monuments-commercial-fishing/