It was on April 17 that President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that opened the seas of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing from the United States federal government.
President George W. Bush is credited with establishing the monument in 2009, as stated in an information sheet titled “Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific,” which pertains to the order.
A larger portion of the protected area was added in 2014 by President Barack Obama.
A region of the central Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii that is twice the size of Texas was closed off to commercial fishing until an executive order was issued by the White House on Thursday.
This was done in order to protect the marine life and migratory birds that call the area home. The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument encompasses an area that is close to 500,000 square miles in size.
The fact sheet that was provided by the White House asserts that “the ban on commercial fishing” that was established for the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument did “little to guard fish populations against overfishing.”
This is due to the fact that the species in question are “migratory in nature” and do not remain in the monument permanently.
Under the new directive issued by the Trump administration, vessels flying the flag of the United States are permitted to engage in commercial fishing between a distance of fifty to two hundred nautical miles from the limits of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
An individual named Alan Friedlander, who had previously served as the chief scientist for the Pristine Seas project at National Geographic, stated that the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument is home to a “vast majority of the species that are resident,” rather than those that migrate.
Coral reefs, island habitats, and open ocean are the three types of habitats that make up the seven wildlife refuges that are located in this region.
The region is inhabited by sharks, fish, and two species of sea turtles that are in risk of extinction: the hawksbill and the Kemp’s Ridley.
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“At a time when the climate crisis is threatening our fragile ocean ecosystem and costing us lives and livelihoods every year, President Trump’s response is to gut protections for some of our nation’s most important natural resources,” Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii stated.
“We should be protecting the Pacific’s unmatched ecology and biodiversity for future generations – this order does the opposite,” he continued.
In response to reports that endangered sea turtle populations are showing signs of improvement, the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument has undergone certain modifications.
According to the findings of a global assessment that included 48 different sea turtle populations, more than half of the groups are witnessing a decrease in risks, which is helping to strengthen the populations of the species.
According to the research, sea turtles in the Atlantic Ocean are doing better than those in the Pacific Ocean; nonetheless, entanglement in fishing gear continues to be a significant risk for all species of sea turtles.
