Recent media responses to President Trump’s April 17 Proclamation to restore access for American fishermen to the waters between 50 to 200 nautical miles (nm) offshore within the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument (PIHMNM) have raised questions and caused some confusion about its impact.
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council says the change focuses on three islands—Wake, Johnston, and Jarvis—where the President’s Proclamation will allow commercial fishing in the 50-200 nm zone around each of those islands. PIHMNM also includes four other island areas: Howland and Baker Islands, and Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef.
The Proclamation does not directly affect existing fishing restrictions protecting the waters surrounding the main Hawaiian Islands or the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Commercial fishing remains prohibited within 0-50 nm of all seven islands and atolls within the PIHMNM. These nearshore areas include coral reef ecosystems and provide essential habitat for a variety of protected marine species. Green and hawksbill sea turtles, which primarily inhabit lagoons and reefs within these zones, remain protected. Similarly, seabirds—including the dense nesting colonies of red-footed boobies on Palmyra—continue to thrive in areas unaffected by the Proclamation.
The offshore (50-200 nm) waters reopened by the Proclamation are deep, open-ocean environments, ranging from 900 to more than 6,000 meters deep (0.5 to 3.7 miles).
Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds pointed out, “These areas are well beyond the reach of fishing gear or shallow reef-dependent species. U.S. fishing activities targeting migratory tunas occur near the surface (maximum 400 meters) using gear such as deep-set longlines, which do not contact the seafloor or sensitive habitats.”
Since the Monument’s establishment by President Bush on January 12, 2009, all waters within 0-50 nm of each island area have been closed to commercial fishing. This closure was later expanded under President Obama to include the current monument boundaries out to 200 nm. President Trump’s action does not change the Bush monument boundaries.
