White House Reopens Commercial Fishing in Three Pacific Marine National Monuments
The Trump administration has reopened parts of three major Pacific marine national monuments to commercial fishing, reversing protections established by previous U.S. administrations across approximately 500,000 square miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The decision affects sections of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. The move is expected to provide additional fishing opportunities for Hawaii-based longline fishing vessels while reintroducing concerns over bycatch impacts on sharks and other marine species within previously protected waters.
The protected areas were designated during the administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, with some protections dating back to 2006. In a presidential proclamation, President Donald Trump stated that “commercial fishing under existing statutory authorities will not put the historic and scientific objects within these areas at risk.”
According to the National Ocean Protection Coalition, resuming longline fishing in these waters could result in the removal of thousands of sharks from the ecosystem each year through bycatch.
The administration’s efforts to roll back marine protected area restrictions have previously faced legal challenges. In August 2025, a federal court invalidated an attempt by NOAA Fisheries to authorize commercial fishing in certain parts of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument that had been closed during the Obama administration.
The court ruled that “no commercial fishing operators may reasonably rely on” an authorization letter issued by NOAA Fisheries for fishing activities between 50 and 200 nautical miles around Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, and Wake Island.
Environmental organizations are also pursuing legal action to prevent the administration from removing protections at the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. The groups argue that a U.S. president does not have the authority to reverse monument designations established by previous administrations. In February, the White House issued a proclamation lifting fishing restrictions within the 4,900-square-mile protected marine area.
