Judge Blocks Trump from Opening Pacific Marine Monument to Fishing

A federal judge in Hawaii blocked the Trump administration from opening the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to commercial fishing.

In April 2025,  Trump issued an Executive Order for the National Marine Fisheries Service to open the protected area to commercial fishing. On May 22, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kāpaʻa, the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, and the Center For Biological Diversity.

According the US Fish and Wildlife Service:

The Monument is home to one of the largest and most pristine collections of tropical islands, coral reef, seamounts and deep sea protected areas on the planet.

Judge Micah WJ Smith ordered the regulations banning commercial fishing to remain in place. The judge agreed with the plaintiffs that the Trump administration broke the law by changing federal rules without going through the legally required public comment process.

According to Solomon Pili Kaho’ohalahala, Founding Member of Kāpaʻa

The Fisheries Service cannot ignore our perspectives as the native people who belong to the islands and to the ocean that surrounds us. The law guarantees a process where we can advocate for protecting the generations of our children’s children who are yet to be born.