Trump allows commercial fishing in protected Pacific ocean reserve, sparking scientists' backlash
Trump reopens Pacific refuge for commercial fishing after 15-year ban (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
President Trump’s latest order lifts long-standing restrictions on fishing in one of the world’s most pristine marine reserves, according to The Washington Post.
President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument — a 490,000-square-mile area of protected ocean south and west of Hawaii.
The decision reverses decades of conservation policy, enabling US-flagged vessels to fish within 50 to 200 nautical miles of the reserve’s landward boundaries.
Created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and expanded by President Obama in 2014, the monument serves as a critical habitat for endangered sea turtles, migratory birds, and reef species.
Map of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, 2016 (Photo: Wikipedia)
Trump argued that the existing environmental laws — such as the Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act — already provide adequate protection, and that "appropriately managed commercial fishing would not put objects of scientific and historic interest at risk."
However, environmental advocates strongly disagree. "The notion that existing laws provide sufficient protection makes no sense," said David Henkin, attorney for Earthjustice. "These laws are wonderful and important — but irrelevant to regulating overfishing."
Scientists warn of long-term ecological consequences
Experts caution that the rollback undermines the ecosystem’s delicate balance.
Alan Friedlander, former chief scientist for National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project, stressed that "the vast majority of the species are resident," not migratory as the administration claims.
He pointed to the nearby Papahānaumokuākea reserve, where protected waters have helped boost tuna populations in surrounding areas.
"Protecting wildlife increases density, genetic diversity, and reproductive output," he wrote.
Green sea turtle at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (Photo: Wikipedia)
Trump also issued a separate executive order demanding a broader review of fishing regulations, asking the Commerce Secretary to "reduce the regulatory burden" on the nation’s "most heavily overregulated fisheries."
Legal experts say this could face challenges under the Antiquities Act, which permits presidents to expand protections — but not to revoke them.
"If he wants to change that, he needs to get Congress to change that," Henkin said.
A pattern of environmental deregulation
Trump’s latest move follows a March proclamation that raised alarm among environmentalists.
That earlier directive proposed empowering a "God squad" to override wildlife protections and prioritize industrial development, a step that critics warned could push vulnerable species toward extinction.
Combined with budget cuts and mass layoffs at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the administration’s environmental policies continue to spark fierce opposition from conservationists.
