April 23, 2025 - Taotasi Archie Soliai and Taulapapa Will Sword talk with 93KHJ's John Raynar about their recent meeting with President Trump in the White House's Oval Office in which the President signed an Executive Order reopening of commercial fishing in parts the Pacific.
Proclamation Reopening Commercial Fishing in Pacific Heritage Monument (formerly Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM)
- Overview of the Proclamation
- The PRIMNM was created in 2009 by President Bush; expanded by Obama in 2014. Biden administration planned to close of the entire area and create a sanctuary overlay over the monument but they ran out of time. In 2024, the monument was renamed Pacific Islands Heritage Monument (PIH)
- On April 17, 2025, President Trump signed a Proclamation to reopen commercial fishing in the PIH), reversing previous restrictions put in place.
- This current decision restores access for U.S. vessels to fish from 50-200nm in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surrounding Howland, Baker, Jarvis Islands, and Johnston and Wake Atolls—areas within U.S. jurisdiction but previously off-limits to commercial fishing.
- Economic Relevance for American Samoa and Hawai‘i
- Commercial fishing is a lifeline for the economies of both American Samoa and Hawai‘i. These communities rely heavily on longline and purse seine fisheries for jobs, food security, and export revenues.
- 70% of the tuna processed in the local cannery is supplied by US flagged purse seiners. This fleet is a critical component of the local tuna industry.
- By reopening these waters, U.S. vessels, many of which are based in or land their catch in American Samoa and Hawai‘i, will have expanded access to fishery resources in the U.S. EEZ.
- This helps level the playing field against foreign fleets that often fish just outside the U.S. EEZ and are not subject to the same conservation and labor standards.
- Although these waters are not within the American Samoa EEZ, they are part of the broader U.S. EEZ, and U.S.-flagged vessels—especially purse seiners—rely on these areas to maintain viable operations.
- Allowing access strengthens the U.S. tuna industry, ensuring fish caught in U.S. waters are delivered to U.S. shores, including to our cannery in Pago Pago, which remains the largest tuna processor in the U.S
- Importance of Fishing in the U.S. EEZ
- S. fishermen operate under the strictest environmental and labor regulations in the world. Allowing them to fish within our own US EEZ reinforces responsible stewardship and supports American jobs.
- Reopening these federal waters provides economic relief and expanded opportunities for U.S. fisheries without compromising conservation goals.
- Clarifying Geographic Context
- The areas reopened by the Proclamation are NOT located within the American Samoa EEZ. In fact, the nearest island in the PIH (e.g., Jarvis Island) lies approximately 900 nautical miles from American Samoa.
- Despite the distance, these reopened waters are traditionally used by U.S. flagged vessels based in or operating out of American Samoa, especially purse seiners.
- Differentiation from the LVPA (Large Vessel Prohibited Area)
- It's important to differentiate between the Large Vessel Prohibited Area (LVPA) around American Samoa and the Pacific Heritage Monument.
- The LVPA restricts commercial fishing by U.S. vessels within 12 nautical miles of American Samoa’s islands to protect small scale local fishers. The Pacific Heritage Monument lies ~900 miles to the north-east of those waters and has no overlap with the LVPA.
- Restoring access to the Monument area does not affect protections near American Samoa’s coasts, which remain in place.
- The PIH reopening affects distant waters far outside the LVPA, and does not impact the protections afforded to local alia and small-vessel fleets in American Samoa.
- It's important to distinguish between these two zones: LVPA is nearshore and focused on protecting local access, while the PRIMNM area is remote, offshore, and was previously closed primarily for legacy reasons, not fisheries conflicts.
- Conservation and Management Still Apply
- Reopening does not mean unregulated fishing. All activities within the reopened PRIMNM waters must still comply with MSA rules, regional fishery management council measures, and international conservation obligations (WCPFC).
- The move is about balanced use, allowing for sustainable harvest in U.S. waters while maintaining ecological protections.
- China: The Unintended Winner of U.S. Closures
- When the U.S. closes large swaths of ocean to its own fishermen, China and other foreign fleets reap the benefits.
- These foreign vessels, many with poor enforcement of conservation rules, line up just outside our EEZs and harvest the very fish migrating out of restricted U.S. waters.
- American vessels are held to the world’s highest standards in sustainability, observer coverage, and bycatch limits. We should empower, not penalize, our fleet.
- Environmental Stewardship Still in Place
- The reopening of fishing access does not eliminate environmental protections. U.S. regulations still prohibit fishing within 50 to 200 miles of the monument islands, ensuring key ecological areas remain safeguarded.
- S.-flagged purse seiners are still strictly regulated under the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) with limits on the number of fishing days and catch tonnage.
- Scientific assessments show that tuna stocks are healthy, not overfished, and not subject to overfishing—affirming that sustainable management is working.
Final Thoughts
- The Proclamation reflects a pro-economic, pro-sovereignty approach to ocean resource management.
- It recognizes that American fishermen should be able to responsibly benefit from resources in their own waters, particularly when those benefits flow directly to underserved communities like American Samoa.
- This decision supports food security, economic resilience, and fisheries sustainability under U.S. control and oversight. IN addition to national security concerns China ocean mining
Taotasi and Taulapapa appear on show following WH Visit
