April 21, 2025 — Fishermen and conservationists are clashing over President Donald Trump’s executive order on Thursday to reopen protected waters in the Pacific to commercial fishing.
The decision, aimed at boosting American Samoa’s economy, would allow access to the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. U.S. flagged ships would be authorized to fish commercially within 50 to 2,000 nautical miles outside the monument’s boundaries.
Members of the Hawai’i Longline Association (HLA) released a statement explaining the “significance of the proclamation for Hawaii’s fishing industry.”
“This is recognition that sustainable fisheries and ocean protection can be achieved and balanced within U.S. national waters,” HLA Executive Director, Eric Kingma said.