Pacific Marine National Monument - Opened to Commercial Fishing
Issue tracker and action guide
Summary
Trump issued an Executive Order to open one of the largest marine preserves in the world to commercial fishing.
What's Happening
Founding: Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument was established by Bush in 2009 and expanded by Obama in 2014.
Fishing Reopened: On April 17, Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to reopen the national monument to commercial fishing.
Legal Battle: On May 22, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kāpaʻa, the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, and the Center For Biological Diversity against the Trump Administration, challenging its actions to open the National Monument to industrial fishing.
Why It Matters
Size and Scale: This marine national monument covers 490,343 square miles of ocean and five uninhabited island or atoll complexes.
Ecological Significance: It protects fish populations, coral reefs, and deep-sea life found nowhere else on earth. It also protects endangered and threatened wildlife, including sharks, rays, seabirds, blue whales, and the leatherback sea turtle.
How To Help
Organization To Support: The Pacific Island Heritage Coalition is a diverse coalition of cultural practitioners, scientists, and nonprofit organizations. It has been the most active group in organizing public support for the monument.
